Despite Chelsea’s big spending in the 2025 summer transfer window, they have been hit with a sanction by UEFA for previous misdemeanours.
The Blues were fined back in July for breaking financial rules, and entered an agreement that they would need to stick to the terms agreed over the next three years to avoid further punishment.
With plenty of new players through the door, they are now in a position where they need to sell players in order to register their additions in the Champions League squad.
This is why the Blues were desperate to sell Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, whose move to Everton has now been confirmed.
Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali during Chelsea v Liverpool - Carabao Cup Final
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Chelsea’s academy sales could rescue them from another UEFA punishment
It has also been notable that Chelsea have been keen to part ways with players who have come through the academy, with their sales being put on the books as pure profit.
Armando Broja, Bashir Humphreys and Ishe Samuels-Smith have all moved on for significant fees this summer, bolstering their position with PSR.
Financial expert Kieran Maguire has stated that the continued success of selling academy talents is going to be crucial to meeting the criteria set out by UEFA.
He exclusively told The Chelsea Chronicle: “Chelsea have significantly outperformed the rest of the Premier League when it comes to player sales over the last decade or so. This is partly due to the Elite Player Performance Plan, which allows the club to be a predator when it comes to top young talent.
MORE CHELSEA STORIES
“They can take players from other clubs, develop them, and sell them. Chelsea’s academy production line has been magnificent in terms of the sales they have made. There are many examples of Chelsea’s ability to identify young talent and utilise it as profitable inventory.
“They have definitely moved to a strategy of recruiting younger players with an eye to maintaining market value if they are sold in a few years. We have seen that with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Sadly, it didn’t work out for him at Chelsea but he is still relatively young, so Chelsea have recouped the vast majority of his fee for PSR purposes.
“*That is true even though they have still had to pay his wages. On a cash basis, they have made a loss.*“
It has been reported that Chelsea have made £250m in sales of academy stars over the last three years (BBC Sport), putting them easily at the top of the list in this category.
Chelsea v Middlesbrough - Carabao Cup Semi Final Second Leg
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Chelsea looking for solutions for academy stars
Despite already confirming the sale of a number of academy graduates, there is still room for more as far as Chelsea are concerned.
After breaking into the first team squad under Mauricio Pochettino, Alfie Gilchrist is up for sale, with clubs in the Championship and Saudi Arabia linked to him.
Tyrique George is being linked with an exit off the back of Chelsea’s flamboyant spending, and after a season as a first team player he will command a decent fee.
Talk refuses to go away that Trevoh Chalobah could be sacrificed. It has been said Chelsea are considering selling Chalobah purely because of the opportunity to make big profits on any deal.