CHELSEA will fight against potential Premier League spending breaches by citing Antonio Rudiger’s free exit as one reason behind their massive financial losses.
The Blues face a huge summer clear-out after revealing a whopping £121million loss for last season.
Todd Boehly is under pressure to balance the books quickly or risk Financial Fair Play sanctions.
And Chelsea could be forced into selling an entire XI of star players this summer.
Boehly has already partly blamed the loss on “extraordinary expenses and loss of revenue” after Roman Abramovich was sanctioned a year ago.
Chelsea were barred from receiving revenue for two months after being put on a government licence until the May 28 takeover.
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The Blues were also unable to hold talks over new contracts for players.
If they are charged with FFP breaches by the Premier League, they will reportedly also cite Rudiger’s inability to strike a new deal as a potential loss of income.
The German defender was a key player under previous boss Thomas Tuchel.
Chelsea were desperate to tie him down to a long-term contract despite his advancing years.
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But Rudiger eventually decided to leave Stamford Bridge on a free transfer for European and Spanish champions Real Madrid.
At the time of his departure, Rudiger was valued at £35m by Transfermarkt.
And Chelsea weren’t even able to command a transfer fee due to his expiring contract.
However, should Rudiger’s exit be cited, the Premier League could ask for evidence Chelsea realistically hoped to extend the German’s deal.
Other players like Marcos Alonso and Andreas Christensen left for free last summer.
But they went after June 30, the end of the the 2021/22 accounting period.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
