Soccer

Chelsea Transfer News: Ex-Premier League Scout Says Club Wants to Lighten Wage Bill By Offloading Underperforming Star

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Chelsea Manager Enzo Maresca

Former Premier League scout Mick Brown has said Chelsea are looking to sell Mykhailo Mudryk to get his astronomical wages off their books. The Blues have one of the most bloated squads in Europe and need to get rid of some of their players to keep bolstering their team without violating Financial Fair Play rules.

Mykhailo Mudryk Has Not Fired for Chelsea

Chelsea spent a hefty €70 million ($73.75 million) fee to sign Mudryk from Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023. The Premier League outfit tied Mudryk down to a lengthy eight-and-a-half-year deal. According to Capology, Mudryk earns $129,676 gross per week at the club.

The left-winger was expected to become one of Chelsea’s key players in attack. However, that has not been the case, with him failing to attain consistency since his high-profile move. So far, he has played 72 games for the club in all competitions, scoring nine goals and providing nine assists. The 23-year-old has yet to find the back of the net for the West London outfit in the Premier League this season (7 appearances).

Mick Brown Believes Mykhailo Mudryk Is Up for Sale

As per Brown, the Chelsea hierarchy does not believe Mudryk is earning his keep. So now, the club is considering selling him for as low as £30 million ($37.96 million).

Speaking to Football Insider, Brown revealed:

I hear they’re keen to move him (Mudryk) on in January. I think they’ve got the makings of a very good team at Chelsea, but he isn’t likely to be a part of that.

There isn’t space for him in the team at the moment and I don’t think Maresca has been particularly impressed by him so far. But I don’t think they’re likely to make a profit on him or even get their money back, let’s put it that way.

He added:

He’s on a big contract too, which they’d like to get off the books if they can. That’s the problem they’ve got themselves into, though. Which clubs will be willing to pay his wages and spend a big chunk of money on signing him?

I think, if clubs do make a move for him, they’ll probably look to pay around £30million at most. So Chelsea might have to bite the bullet and accept that if they really want to move him on. They’ll have to cut their losses.”

Mudryk is currently behind Pedro Neto and Joao Felix in the pecking order, at least in matches of consequence in the Premier League. He, however, is the first-choice left-winger for Chelsea in the UEFA Europa Conference League.