Chelsea are already looking towards the summer transfer window, as they look to bring another disappointing season to a close.
Chelsea still struggling on and off the pitch
Mauricio Pochettino's side conceded two goals for the fifth consecutive Premier League game on Sunday, as a late Oli McBurnie goal saw them held to a 2-2 draw at Bramall Lane by 20th placed Sheffield United.
Perhaps even more worrying than the result was the performance itself, with Sheffield United racking up more shots on target and more expected goals than the once-regular trophy winners. Speaking after the game, even Pochettino admitted that his side didn't deserve to win.
"When you concede in the last few minutes, always we feel very disappointed and frustrated because we should win the game in this moment," the Blues boss explained after the game.
"But for different circumstances, we concede and in the end, it’s a draw. I want to say also now with the draw in our hands, it’s a fair result.
'"f you analyse the game, even though we had the control and possession, we didn’t create enough or show the capacity to be solid, strong, and not concede goals. That is the most painful situation."
Despite the disappointment, the Blues are now unbeaten in their last five Premier League games and sitting ninth in the Premier League, with an outside chance of ending the campaign in a Europa League or UEFA Conference League spot for next season.
Premier League race for Europe
Position
Team
Played
Won
Drawn
Lost
Goal difference
Points
6th
Manchester United
31
15
4
12
-1
49
7th
West Ham United
32
13
9
10
-4
48
8th
Newcastle United
31
14
5
12
13
47
9th
Chelsea
30
12
8
10
3
44
But come the summer their job doesn't get any easier. They are expected to need to raise around £100m profit from player sales before they can invest further in the playing squad, which is likely to see the likes of Conor Gallagher and Ian Maatsen depart permanently.
With that in mind, they will need to be creative this summer in order to land their targets, and reports suggest that they are ready to do just that.
Chelsea readying huge swap deal for goalscoring star
Now, it has been reported that Chelsea are trying to put together a player plus cash deal for Napoli star Victor Osimhen this summer. The Nigerian is high on the wishlist of several top clubs, with Paris Saint Germain and Arsenal both thought to be following him and Osimhen likely to leave this summer.
Chelsea ready to offer Reece James in swap deal for Real Madrid star
The Blues are already planning for the summer.
ByCharlie Smith
One major stumbling block is the price though; he is believed to have a release clause in his current deal in Naples, with that fee sitting at 130m euros (£110m), something that will likely prove an obstacle to plenty of interested parties.
As a result, Team Talk claim that Chelsea have offered a compromise. In fact, they had already offered a deal involving Romelu Lukaku to Napoli, but that was turned down. Now, they are ready to add on-loan striker Armando Broja into the mix, though it is added that Napoli are keen to try and sell Osimhen rather than entertain any swap deals.
With Broja struggling to even get minutes at Fulham, the deal seems very unlikely to be successful, but it offers a clear insight into Chelsea's plan of attack for the upcoming summer transfer window.
