Chelsea owner Todd Boehly faces another crucial transfer window this summer following the club's disappointing 2022/23 season. The Blues look destined to finish in the Premier League bottom half, meaning Mauricio Pochettino will arrive at Stamford Bridge with no European football.
Pochettino has agreed to become the next manager in SW6, football.london understands. The former Tottenham boss has a number of ongoing issues to contend with when he does settle at Cobham, including the state of the first team.
The £600million spending in the last year has meant Chelsea have one of the largest squads in Europe, with Pochettino set to inherit a squad of over 30 players. There will be a number of players who will be sold over the course of the summer, with reports insisting Boehly wants to sign two to three new players.
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One man who has been linked with a move to west London for some time is West Ham star Declan Rice. Chelsea will battle Arsenal for his services in the summer, with the 24-year-old being Mikel Arteta's priority transfer target.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has recently revealed that the Gunners have started forming their first official bid for Rice, with Granit Xhaka's likely exit to Bayer Leverkusen playing a telling role in the move.
However, a similar situation played out in January with Mykhailo Mudryk. The Ukrainian looked destined to secure a move to Arsenal for the majority of the winter window, but it was Chelsea that secured his services, with an £88m hijack.
Unlike Chelsea, Arsenal have worked to a proven transfer strategy in purchasing the right players and refusing to pay over the odds. If the north Londoners continue that trend, it could leave the door open for Boehly to swoop in once again.
The Blues haven't held back from splashing the cash on players in the past and could easily match the £90million bid recently touted as the price of Arsenal's move for Rice, who played for the Blues' academy.
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