Chelsea plotting repeat of Cole Palmer tactic to inject £20m of transfer funds

Chelsea may bank over £20million in profit by selling outcast Carney Chukwuemeka in January. The former Aston Villa playmaker has struggled for game time in the Premier League this season and could be sold.

Chukwuemeka has not started in the top-flight this term. His only start came in the Conference League, a competition in which Enzo Maresca has preferred to play a second-string team.

The 21-year-old was linked with a summer departure when it became apparent that he would not be part of Mareca’s plans. However, no move materialised and the player has endured a frustrating first half of the campaign.

According to the BBC, Chelsea will demand £40m for Chukwuemeka next month in a bid to make a mammoth profit on the England youth international. He was signed from Villa in a £19m switch in the summer of 2022.

Chelsea can repeat the trick Manchester City used when they sold Cole Palmer to the west Londoners in 2023, which saw them bank a huge profit on an under-used young player – helping them to bolster their own transfer budget.

Chukwuemeka reportedly has interest from Everton, West Ham and Serie A side AC Milan. Express Sport understands that Crystal Palace were interested in the Austria-born ace last summer but baulked at the asking price.

It is claimed that Everton, West Ham and AC Milan would prefer a short-term loan before completing a permanent switch next summer. It is unclear whether Chelsea would accept such a proposal.

Chukwuemeka was reportedly part of Chelsea’s ‘bomb squad’, a group of players who were considered surplus to requirements at the start of the season. Raheem Sterling was a member but completed a move to Arsenal on transfer deadline day.

It remains to be seen whether Chelsea will continue their big spending this January. Last year was the first window in which the Blues did not sign anyone during the BlueCo tenure. The previous January was the year they spent nearly £200m on Enzo Fernandez and Mykhaylo Mudryk alone.

Maresca’s side looks primed to challenge Liverpool for the Premier League title over the coming months without any major additions. That is despite the blip of Boxing Day’s 2-1 defeat by Fulham at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea have exceed all expectations during Maresca’s tenure. A much smaller squad seems more settled and is ready to compete for trophies.