The disintegration of the Roman Abramovich-era Chelsea will continue apace this week as Manchester United and Chelsea wrangle over a suitable Mason Mount fee, with United threatening to walk away and allow the player to leave free next season after having a £55million bid rejected.
Assuming Mount does leave, then of the 23-man squad that won the Champions League in 2021 — the starting XI and 12 more on the bench — only Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Thiago Silva and Kepa Arrizabalaga are likely to start next season.
With man of the match against Manchester City that evening, N’Golo Kante, having left for Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia last week, the goal-scorer Kai Havertz leaving for Arsenal, club captain Cesar Azpilicueta in talks with Inter and keeper Eduoard Mendy close to a move to Al-Ahli, also in Saudi Arabia, the core of that team has now departed in what has been a dramatic and problematic 12 months since the Todd Boehly/Behdad Eghbali takeover.