N'Golo Kante could become the first beneficiary of Chelsea owner Todd Boehly's relationship with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.
PIF, who play a prominent role at Newcastle United after a 2021 takeover, also have stakes in a number of Saudi Pro League clubs. They are majority owners of Cristiano Ronaldo's side Al-Nassr, as well as three other big-hitters, after a deal was announced in early June.
They also have a strong relationship with Clearlake Capital, part of the Boehly-led group which took ownership of Chelsea in the lead-up to the 2022-23 season. This, according to fresh reports, could prompt some significant summer transfer deals.
According to CBS Sports, the relationship between PIF and Boehly/Clearlake could help drive a number of players' moves to Saudi Arabia. "Multiple" Chelsea players are said to be in the mix for a move.
The interest in Kante has been well-documented, with the France midfielder on the verge of completing a mega-money move to the Gulf state. However, he could be joined in the Saudi Pro League by Blues colleague Hakim Ziyech.
Morocco playmaker Ziyech is a target for Al-Nassr, according to The Athletic. They are said to have opened talks over the former Ajax star, while also pushing for Ronaldo's Portugal team-mate William Carvalho.
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Senegal duo Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly are also attracting Saudi interest, according to various reports. Romelu Lukaku and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have also been linked with moves, though it has been suggested that Lukaku favours staying in Europe.
New Chelsea manager Pochettino is inheriting a bloating squad, after the Blues spent around £500m in the first year of Boehly's ownerrship. They need to trim the wage bill and offload some players this summer, and the interest from the Saudi Pro League could help in this regard.
There has also been Premier League interest in some of Chelsea's senior players. Mason Mount has been on Manchester United's radar, while Arsenal are looking at Kai Havertz and Manchester City continue to be linked with Mateo Kovacic.
If Chelsea are able to offload all three, that would help raise more than £100m based on the figures being quoted. Out-of-contract Kante won't fetch a fee, but others - including the Saudi-linked group and Newcastle-linked Marc Cucurella - could help give Pochettino some funds for new recruits.
Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo is among those on the Blues' shopping list, with the Ecuadorian set to cost north of £80, while Nicolas Jackson could provide attacking reinforcements along with incoming RB Leipzig man Christopher Nkunku. Other squad members such as Malo Gusto will return from loan, but a new goalkeeper might not be incoming as Pochettino is thought to be happy with current incumbent Kepa Arrizabalaga.
