As Chelsea aim to finish the season strongly, it will be tough for some fans to avoid looking ahead to the summer.
With Mauricio Pochettino poised to arrive as manager, there will surely be plenty of ins and outs. The new boss will want to trim some of the fat from a bloated squad, but will also have targets he's keen to bring in ahead of the upcoming campaign.
Pochettino's decisions are a primary focus behind the scenes, too, with at least one big decision needed on the coaching front. Here are the latest lines from West London with a pivotal summer on the horizon.
Neymar to make U-turn
Brazil forward Neymar appears ready to leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer. The Chelsea-linked forward had been expected to stay, but has come under fire, with some supporters even showing up outside his house to voice his frustration.
According to Le Parisien, the 31-year-old has gone back on suggestions he is happy in the French capital. He is under contract until 2025, though, with an option to extend.
“I like the playing style and the teams," he previously said of the Premier League before making his record-breaking move to PSG in 2017. "And who knows? Someday, I would like to play [in] it, yes. I admire Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool —these are the teams that are always there fighting."
Pochettino's Lampard decision
Incoming Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is expected to hold talks with Frank Lampard when he takes over at Stamford Bridge. Current caretaker boss Lampard will continue to take charge until the end of the season, though his future beyond then is uncertain.
Chelsea have struggled on the pitch since Lampard took temporary charge after Graham Potter's sacking. The Blues have won just once under the former Everton boss, and could only draw at home to lowly Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Lampard is expected to speak to his successor about the state of the squad going into the summer window. Chelsea were the Premier League's biggest spenders this season, but the new man already looks set to make some additions of his own.
Leao approach detailed
Chelsea attempted to land Rafael Leao with a player swap deal last summer, according to The Athletic. The approach was one of the first made post-takeover by Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, but was swiftly knocked back.
In order to reduce the fee for the Portugal star, Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech were reportedly offered to AC Milan as makeweights. It was a non-starter, though, with Leao eventually signing a long-term contract extension in 2023.
Pulisic and Ziyech remained at Chelsea all season, though it remains to be seen how much longer they stick around. Morocco international Ziyech has already come close to a PSG move, only for the deal to suffer a last-minute collapse on deadline day.
