Chelsea have terminated the deal of out-of-favour midfielder Ross Barkley and agreed to pay off the final year of his £200,000 a week contract.
The 28-year-old has fallen way down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge, and despite being involved on the clubs pre-season tour of the US, has not featured in any of Thomas Tuchel's Premier League squads.
The former Everton prodigy arrived at Stamford Bridge for £15milion in January 2018 and was assigned the number 8 shirt - previously worn by legendary Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard.
Yet, despite becoming a first-team regular at Stamford Bridge during the 2018-19 season, game time after that slowly dwindled.