Xabi Alonso in the dugout during Chelsea's pre-season game against Tottenham in Sydney
Chelsea could be set for a lively end to the transfer window with the futures of four players still to be decided.
Boss Xabi Alonso is in the process of navigating through his bloated squad to find his trusted XI ahead of the new season.
Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso sits in the dugout at Stamford Bridge during the friendly match against Real Sociedad, August 2026.4
Alonso still has plenty of work to do in reshaping his squad ahead of the Premier League season
That will inevitably be a brutal process for the Spaniard who is tasked with informing multiple stars that their services will not be required this season.
Whilst the door remains open for potential new incomings this summer, talkSPORT’s chief football correspondent Alex Crook says trimming the squad is the club’s priority in the final weeks of the window, which closes on September 1.
“I think the focus is on getting players out at this moment in time,” Crook told talkSPORT before revealing which players are most likely to depart.
Who could leave Chelsea this summer?
“Keep an eye on Liam Delap, £40million bounty on his head as I understand it,” he added.
“Nicolas Jackson is another who could potentially move on. Axel Disasi has got interest from Crystal Palace and West Ham.”
Vice-captain Enzo Fernandez remains the most high profile name that could leave the club this month.
The Argentine has communicated his desire to leave the club with his preferred destination being a move to Real Madrid.
The LaLiga club quickly poured cold water on a move last month leaving the midfielder in limbo.
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Manchester City have been strongly linked with a move for the 25-years-old but failed to submit an offer by Chelsea’s set deadline of 5pm last Friday.
And whilst speculation has briefly quietened down in recent days, Crook believes there is still life in the deal and predicts a blockbuster deadline day for the Argentine.
Liam Delap of Chelsea, wearing a black shirt, looks on after the pre-season match against Tottenham Hotspur, August 2026.4
Newcastle, Everton and Nottingham Forest have all been linked with Delap in recent days
Enzo Fernandez in Chelsea training4
Fernandez recently returned to Chelsea training following his eventful World Cup with Argentina
Will there be late drama in the Fernandez deal?
“We’re going to be talking a lot about Enzo Fernandez in the next couple of weeks,” he said.
“I can see a repeat scenario of when he came from Benfica where we get to deadline day and Manchester City are trying to get that deal done.
“I think that might be the big story of deadline day.”
Fernandez returned to action for the Blues in Saturday’s 3-1 pre-season friendly win over Real Sociedad.
Introduced as a second-half substitute, Fernandez received a mixed reception from the Stamford Bridge faithful.
Sections of the Chelsea support have been angered by the star’s repeated attempts to angle for a move to Real Madrid.
Enzo Fernandez - Chelsea vs Real Sociedad4
Fernandez was given a mixed reception on his return to action on Saturday
Others were left disappointed by his antics in Argentina’s 2-1 World Cup semi-final win over England last month where Fernandez netted his country’s equaliser late on.
Fernandez joined Chelsea in a £106.8m deal from Benfica in January 2023.
He has since clocked up 169 appearances for the west London club, scoring 31 goals and providing 30 assists during that time.