Chelsea could sell entire XI to pay for Morgan Rogers transfer

Chelsea are taking their spending to new heights – yes, even by their standards – to sign Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa.

One hundred and seventeen million Great British pounds is the price they’ll be paying for the attacking midfielder in an astonishing spend by a club who don’t even have European football on offer for the upcoming season.

There’s no doubt Chelsea needed an injection of quality and they’ll be hoping Rogers can provide that for Xabi Alonso’s transforming side.

But they’re going to need to balance the books and that means they’ll soon turn their attention to player sales, having already cashed in on Marc Cucurella, Andrey Santos and Tyrique George.

In their efforts to keep their net spend as low as possible, here’s an entire lineup of players they could sell to offset the huge investment in Rogers.

GK: Filip Jorgensen

After two years as Chelsea’s backup keeper, Jorgensen has got itchy feet (or should that be gloves for a goalie?).

Eager to find a new club where he can be a starter, the former Villarreal number one will be hoping his exit wish can be granted this summer.

With Mike Penders returning from a loan at Strasbourg, Chelsea should be able to accommodate Jorgensen’s departure.

They paid around £20m to sign him in 2024. 36 games and 39 goals conceded later, it remains to be seen how much of that they’ll get back.

Gabriel Slonina is another goalkeeper Chelsea could sell this summer.

RB: Malo Gusto

There’s a chance Gusto can become Chelsea’s biggest sale of the summer and it might be to a familiar buyer.

Enzo Maresca has been tipped to lure Gusto to Manchester City for a reunion, but Chelsea will be playing hardball with the fee.

They have Reece James and Josh Acheampong already at right-back and have just signed Marco Palestra from Atalanta to soften the blow of potentially losing Gusto.

He’s been a decent player for the past three years for them, but they can afford to let him go.

CB: Axel Disasi

Disasi redeemed some credit while on loan at West Ham last season after sliding down the Chelsea pecking order.

It won’t be enough for him to get a second chance at Chelsea, you’d think. West Ham’s relegation also means he might have to look for a completely new home.

But Chelsea will be able to point to Disasi’s recent performances in an effort to claw back as much of their £38.5m investment as possible.

CB: Benoit Badiashile

Badiashile managed to make just eight appearances in the Premier League last season.

The appointment of Alonso gives some of Chelsea’s fringe players the chance to turn over a new leaf, but Badiashile’s hopes may be fading.

He’s a good player on his day, but that day hasn’t happened enough during his Chelsea career.

Keep an eye out for what they do with Aaron Anselmino at centre-back too after his season out on loan with Borussia Dortmund and Strasbourg.

LB: Caleb Wiley

Chelsea have already made one big sale from the left-back department this summer, with Cucurella heading to Real Madrid.

That has banked them a big chunk of the funds they need for the Rogers deal, but Chelsea could top up their budget by letting go of Wiley as well.

Injuries have damaged his progress in recent months, with the former Watford loanee still yet to make his competitive debut for Chelsea.

There’s a chance he might never if a suitable bid comes in.

RW: Alejandro Garnacho

A winger signed with reasonable hopes last summer who just hasn’t lived up to the billing.

Garnacho has attracted interest from Italy and Chelsea don’t seem opposed to a move, nor does the player himself.

CM: Enzo Fernandez

If Chelsea got their way, selling Fernandez alone would balance the books for the Rogers deal.

They previously made the Argentine their record signing in January 2023 and will feel entitled to a similarly high fee if he agitates for a move.

Talk of a move to Real Madrid just isn’t going away. But if Chelsea do sell Fernandez after getting rid of Andrey Santos too, they’d need to reinforce their midfield.

He’s also one of seven players to have been sent off in a World Cup final. Can you name the other six?

CM: Omari Kellyman

The last time Chelsea signed an attacking midfielder from Aston Villa didn’t lead to anything special, but Kellyman was no Rogers.

Indeed, he’d only made six senior appearances when Chelsea dropped £19m on him in 2024. He still hasn’t made his first-team debut for the Blues, but had an encouraging loan spell in League One with Cardiff City last season.

Chelsea’s current plan is to loan out Kellyman again but we wonder if they could be tempted by a decent bid for a permanent move.

LW: Jamie Gittens

See Garnacho and insert different potential takers. Anyone?

CF: Nicolas Jackson

Jackson is due to get a second chance in pre-season with Chelsea this summer as Alonso makes a fresh call on the striker, who previously scored 30 goals across two seasons with the club before being loaned to Bayern Munich.

It wasn’t a disgraceful record, but he’s unlikely to dislodge Joao Pedro as Chelsea’s main striker and he might have reached the end of his journey at Stamford Bridge.

CF: David Datro Fofana

Wait, he’s still there?

After his latest loan spell at (checks notes) Strasbourg (really didn’t need to check notes), Fofana has failed to get his career on a trajectory aligning with Chelsea’s ambitions.

Now 23, it’d be in everyone’s best interests for Chelsea to help him find a permanent new home this summer.

Chuck in the prospect of a Marc Guiu exit from the striker ranks – not to mention Liam Delap – and some youth sales and that concludes Chelsea’s exodus to afford Rogers.

And they’d have change left over. Goodness knows what they’d do with it.

READ MORE: Ranking the 12 £100million+ transfers in football history from worst to best

TRY A QUIZ: Can you name Chelsea’s top scorer for every Premier League season?