Chelsea are poised to lose a number of first team players in January as they look to strengthen their squad for the manager midway through the season.
Enzo Maresca insisted the Blues were never in a title race, however their recent form has proven him right in a way he would not have wanted to see.
Chelsea have been linked with a number of signings across the pitch, however these will likely not be possible without a few players parting ways.

Renato Veiga has already made it clear he wants to leave, and one player who is also gaining a lot of attention as a potential exit is Christopher Nkunku.
The Frenchman has struggled to establish himself as a starter at Stamford Bridge this season, with Maresca preferring the option of Nicolas Jackson in the Premier League.
The manager has in fact frequently stated that he doesn’t see striker as Nkunku’s best position, reiterating after the win against Morecambe that he has three players of a similar ilk with Cole Palmer and Joao Felix.
He said to The Evening Standard: “The only thing I’ve said since the start is it’s difficult to play games with so many attacking players.
“If Joao plays it means that Cole doesn’t play, or if Joao plays he has to play with Cole together but it depends on the game.
“For me it’s quite easy, we have three players that are more or less similar, Joao and Cole and Christo. Joao has played some games, Christo has played, they both played against Ipswich (a 2-0 defeat), they both played Southampton (5-1 win) and Leicester (2-1 win).”
Given the fact that Palmer is Chelsea’s most important player, and the manager has been seen looking for ways to get Felix in the side more regularly, it is not looking good for Nkunku.
Christopher Nkunku’s impressive 2024/25 stats
This is despite the Frenchman being the joint top scorer for the Blues this season in all competitions, with him having no problem finding the net in cup competitions.
Chelsea top scorers 24/25 | Goals |
Christopher Nkunku | 13 |
Cole Palmer | 13 |
Nicolas Jackson | 9 |
Joao Felix | 7 |
Noni Madueke | 6 |
Marc Guiu | 6 |
Jason Cundy believes though that Marc Guiu is a better option off the bench than Nkunku right now, with his playstyle closer resembling that of Jackson.
If the France international was to leave this month, it has been claimed Chelsea are likely to go after an outright striker to replace him.
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