CHELSEA’S new manager Mauricio Pochettino has already started to wield the axe on his bloated squad.
Pochettino has taken over the Blues following a disastrous campaign that saw them finishing 12th with their lowest ever Premier League points tally.
The Argentine tactician is facing a daunting task to get the West Londoners back on track and will have to start by determining which players are surplus to requirements.
Joao Felix has been sent back to Atletico Madrid after the ex-Tottenham boss decided against making his loan move a permanent deal.
Atletico president Enrique Cerezo confirmed: “The truth is that I can’t tell you the plan with Joao.
“Yesterday, we had the news that the new Chelsea manager does not want Joao Felix.
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“We’ve known for less than 24 hours. He’ll come back here and we’ll see. We don’t have anything planned.”
Denis Zakaria will also see his loan ended without a permanent switch.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Zakaria will return to Juventus and “assess his options”.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek is another star who could be heading out, with AC Milan willing to pay about £20million.
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Loftus-Cheek has a year left on his current deal and the Blues are looking to offload some of their home-grown players.
This will help them comply with financial fair play rules after spending over £600m in the last year.
One academy star already out the door is Dujon Sterling who has joined Rangers on a four-year deal after returning from a loan at Stoke.
Pochettino is expected to make even more cuts to his squad ahead of pre-season.
Mateo Kovacic, Christian Pulisic, Edouard Mendy, Hakim Ziyech, Conor Gallagher and Kalidou Koulibaly are all on the chopping block.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
