Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is expected to be backed in the summer transfer window by new owner Todd Boehly.
Tuchel is reportedly set to be handed a '£200million war chest' to rebuild his squad as the Blues enter a new era of ownership under Boehly. Antonio Rudiger has confirmed his departure from the club this summer with the Germany international rumoured to be joining Real Madrid.
The futures of Andreas Christensen, Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso are still in doubt heading into next season, meaning defensive reinforcements will be a priority at Stamford Bridge ahead of next season. Sevilla's Jules Kounde and RB Leipzig's Josko Gvardiol have both been heavily linked with moves to Chelsea this summer, as well as attacking talents Christian Nkunku and Ousmane Dembele.
READ MORE: Neymar's Premier League hint may spell bad news for Chelsea's and Todd Boehly's transfer plans
Boehly's takeover has been given the green light by the UK government meaning the sanctions placed on the Blues are set to be lifted ahead of the 2022/23 campaign. This will allow Chelsea to operate as usual in the transfer market which could see plenty of incomings and outgoings at Stamford Bridge this summer.
So, what signings could Chelsea make in the upcoming summer transfer window? Which players would the Blues keep and which would they move on? We used Football Manager 2022 to find out.
To set up our simulation, we appointed Todd Boehly as Chelsea's new owner and handed the Blues a transfer budget of £200million on FM22. We updated the squad by bringing all loanees back to the club and moving Rudiger to Real Madrid, as well as Christensen and Alonso to Barcelona at the end of the 2021/22 season. Here's what happened...
Chelsea's £200million summer transfer window simulated
Chelsea's incomings - £306million
- Victor Osimhen (Napoli) - £70million
- Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint-Germain) - £67million
- Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig) - £40million
- Hugo Ekitike (Stade Reims) - £30million
- Sven Botman (Lille) - £30million
- Duvan Zapata (Atalanta) - £25million
- Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona) - £20million
- Juan Cuadrado (Juventus) - £10million
- Waldemar Anton (Stuttgart) - £7.25million
- Manuel Lazzari (Lazio) - £7million (rising to £8.25million)
Chelsea spent big in the summer transfer window as Boehly wasted little time investing into the club allowing Tuchel to reshape and rebuild his squad ahead of a crucial 2022/23 season. Napoli's Victor Osimhen was the most expensive signing of the summer at £70million as the Blues looked to bring in a new starting striker after Lukaku's struggles last season.
Chelsea strengthened their attacking options further with the arrivals of Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele, hot prospect Hugo Ekitike and experienced forward Duvan Zapata for a combined fee of £75million, taking Chelsea's expenditure on attacking players to £145million. The Blues turned their focus to reinforcing the defence as Paris Saint-Germain star Presnel Kimpembe made the move to Stamford Bridge in a £67million deal.
Sven Botman and Josko Gvardiol followed Kimpembe in signing for Tuchel's side as Chelsea adequately replaced Christensen, Rudiger and Alonso. Juan Cuadrado returned to Stamford Bridge five years after leaving the club as Tuchel looked for a strong backup option for Reece James.
Waldemar Anton and Manuel Lazzari joined the club to strengthen the squad depth at Stamford Bridge after the Blues were hampered by injuries throughout the 2021/22 season.
Chelsea's outgoings - £166m
- Romelu Lukaku (Inter) - £50million
- Conor Gallagher (Tottenham) - £38million
- Hakim Ziyech (Borussia Dortmund) - £26million
- Armando Broja (Southampton) - £25million
- Michy Batshuayi (Stade Reims) - £4million
- Danny Drinkwater (QPR) - Free
- Baba Rahman (Southampton) - Loan
- Ian Maatsen (Reading) - Loan
- Levi Colwill (Cheltenham) - Loan
Lukaku was the most notable departure from the club ahead of the 2022/23 season as the Belgian returned to Inter just one season after leaving them. Lukaku struggled to impose himself as the starting striker at Chelsea after returning to the club, falling out of favour under Tuchel as Kai Havertz became the preferred centre-forward at the club.
Conor Gallagher returned from a successful loan spell at Crystal Palace but found himself leaving the club on a permanent deal as the Blues accepted a £38million bid from London rivals Tottenham. Hakim Ziyech left the club for a fee of £26million as the Moroccan forward joined Borussia Dortmund as the German outfit looked to spend the money they received for Erling Haaland.
Another returning loanee that had a solid season was Armando Broja, but the Albanian striker opted for a return to the south coast and moved permanently to Southampton for a fee of £25million. Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi returned from loan and left the club on a permanent deal to Stade Reims, moving in the opposite direction to the incoming Ekitike for a minimal fee.
Other departures from the club include Danny Drinkwater to Queens Park Rangers on a free transfer, Baba Rahman on loan to Saints, Ian Maatsen on loan to Reading and highly-rated youngster Levi Colwill to Cheltenham Town on a season-long loan deal.
