The Premier League season may not be over yet, but there appears to be significant movements in Chelsea's transfer philosophy for the summer
14:23, 17 Apr 2026
Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali before the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 Second Leg match between Chelsea FC and Paris Saint-Germain FC at Stamford Bridge on March 17, 2026 in London, England
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Eghbali suggested Chelsea may be about to pivot from the current transfer strategy(Image: 2026 Robin Jones)
Chelsea owner Behdad Eghbali recently stated the club will be looking for more 'ready made' transfer targets - and there may be the perfect transfer opportunity appearing in Saudi Arabia.
The west Londoners have been focussing on signing some of the planet's best young players for the last three years, with the likes of Estevao, Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez encapsulating their philosophy.
Liam Rosenior's side boast the youngest squad in the Premier League, but many believe the relative inexperience at Stamford Bridge has resulted in the inconsistent performances this season.
It appears Eghbali agrees, as he recently suggested the club is going to pivot from the current strategy of signing players with high potential, in exchange for more experienced and established stars.
With that in mind, the club could take another look at Al-Hilal duo Darwin Nunez and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
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The Middle Eastern side recently underwent a huge change as their previous owners, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, sold their majority stakes.
The sporting institutions bank-rolled by the PIF, which include Al-Hilal, the LIV Golf Tour and even Newcastle United, are currently experiencing a period of uncertainty.
Amid the tension in the Middle East and a recent pivot into other new interests, the PIF has been scaling back some of their sporting ambitions.
As part of this change, their 70% majority in Al-Hilal has since been sold to Kingdom Holding Company, another Saudi entity.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Darwin Nunez of Al-Hilal line up prior to the Saudi Pro League match between Al Hilal and Al Nassr at Kingdom Arena on January 12, 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Nunez and Milinkovic-Savic could be ideal options for the Blues(Image: 2026 Getty Images)
Should Nunez and Milinkovic-Savic be spooked by any uncertainty in the Saudi sporting world, Chelsea could be there to sign them. The Blues have previously been linked with the Al-Hilal duo.
Moreover, with Eghbali recently saying the club will look to try and sign more ready made stars, the duo may fit the mould of a 'ready made' Premier League player and solution.
Eghbali, speaking at the CAA's World Congress of Sports conference in Los Angeles on Thursday, recently said: "The view was to recruit and build elite players that can, frankly, be together and have that stability in the squad. We're still in the 40th, 50th minute of that process.
Liam Rosenior
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Rosenior recently admitted Chelsea are already looking for new transfer targets for this summer(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)
"But the view is to keep, sign and retain and compensate and extend some of the world's best players, and ultimately the view was you need, eight, 10, 12, 15 elite players to win and win sustainably, year after year.
"I think we've done a few things right, a lot of things right. We've got to be better on a few things, to add more ready-made players at this part of the project, to take it to the next level, to be consistent over time."
Chelsea head into this weekend's crucial home clash against Manchester United in 6th, four points away from 5th placed Liverpool.
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