Chelsea make 6 players available for summer transfer to fund striker hunt | OneFootball

Chelsea have long been expected to sell players this summer in order to fund recruitment that will strengthen specific areas of the squad for next season.

The Blues briefly flirted with mounting a surprise Premier League title challenge earlier in the campaign when five successive wins spanning November and December, and only two defeats in their first 17 games, had them second in the table.

But a troubling run since Christmas that has seen Enzo Maresca's side lose six times in the league and take only 14 points from a possible 36 shows there is more work to do.

Chelsea have lacked a prolific striker since Diego Costa left Stamford Bridge the best part of a decade ago – no Chelsea player has hit 30 goals in a season since Didier Drogba in 2009/10. So a more reliable number nine than Nicolas Jackson is an objective.

In addition to that clear priority, Fabrizio Romano also expects the club to target a defender and winger. But it will require existing players on the books to move on to make space and raise funds.

Chelsea want a more prolific striker than Nicolas Jackson / Visionhaus/GettyImages

The transfer specialist has previously suggested that "seven or eight" players will be made available, but has now addressed a handful of specific names on that list.

Kepa Arrizabalaga, Axel Disasi, Ben Chilwell, Raheem Sterling and Armando Broja are five players currently out on loan that are considered very highly likely to be shown the door.

Kepa has impressed with Bournemouth and the Cherries in particular could try to recruit the Spaniard, even though his parent club have had a nightmare with goalkeepers this season. Disasi will be sold, whether it's a permanent deal to loan side Aston Villa or someone else, with no Chelsea future for Chilwell, Sterling or Broja either, the latter struggling to get game time at Everton.

A sixth player named was Joao Felix. AC Milan are not thought to have made any attempts to wrap up a permanent deal, although things could change depending on personnel at San Siro in the summer. The door at Stamford Bridge is not considered closed to Felix, but equally a decent offer could see Chelsea cash in and cut ties with a player who Atletico Madrid once agreed to pay €126m for.