Chelsea facing unthinkable Cole Palmer sale as surprise contract clause revealed

Chelsea could be forced to consider offers for Cole Palmer due to a clause in his contract that will become active if they miss out on Champions League qualification, TEAMtalk understands.

The Blues enjoyed an excellent start to the season under new manager Enzo Maresca but have since seen their progress derailed amid a poor run of form.

Chelsea now sit sixth in the Premier League table, behind fifth-placed Bournemouth on goal difference, with finishing in the top five likely to be enough to secure UCL football next season.

Maresca has stated that qualifying for the UCL this season was not an objective he was set but TEAMtalk understands the Chelsea board absolutely expect to be part of the competition next season.

It is a similar situation to when Mauricio Pochettino was in charge and sources have stated there are some concerns growing in the group about the direction of travel this season.

Some sources have strongly stated that if Chelsea do not qualify for the Champions League then some players will consider their futures.

The suggestion is that there are clauses in certain player’s contracts, like Palmer’s, that means Chelsea would be forced to consider offers should they fail to reach the elite competitions.

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Enzo Maresca isn’t safe at Chelsea

The Chelsea board came out recently and stated they are happy with Maresca and the positive steps taken this season, but it’s worth noting that the same was said about Pochettino and Graham Potter before him.

Pochettino and Potter ultimately found out the hard way what can happen to Chelsea managers when they don’t qualify for European football and Maresca could face a similar fate should the club’s form continue on a downward trend.

Supporters are also growing frustrated with the Blues board’s focus on signing young players with high potential, rather than buying in stars for the present rather than the future.

These youngsters have no guarantee of breaking into the Chelsea first team, either. One example is midfielder Andrey Santos, who has performed well on loan with Strasbourg.

Chelsea sources say the club are keen to bring Santos back to Stamford Bridge to play next season, but those close to the player insist he wants regular first team football and therefore, offers for him will be considered by Chelsea this summer.

The next few months will be crucial for Maresca and the future of some of Chelsea’s best players. If their form does not pick up and a top four or five finish slips further away, more unrest will follow and their biggest names could seek exits to play in the biggest competitions.

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Chelsea round-up: Huijsen battle, Mitoma linked

Meanwhile, TEAMtalk has revealed that Chelsea are very interested in Bournemouth centre-back Dean Huijsen and are weighing up a bid in the summer.

The talented 19-year-old has a £50m release clause in his Cherries’ contract – a relatively cheap fee given the £70m+ valuations for the likes of Marc Guehi, Jarrad Branthwaite or Murillo.

However, Liverpool are also big admirers of Huijsen and we could therefore see the two Premier League clubs go head-to-head for his signature.

In other news, reports from Spain have claimed that Chelsea are interested in Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma and are ‘willing’ to spend £75m to sign him.

The Japanese international is undoubtedly one of the best wingers in the Premier League on his day and scored a mesmerizing goal in Brighton’s 3-0 win over Chelsea last Friday, which Jamie Carragher described as “Lionel Messi-like.”

IN FOCUS: Cole Palmer’s importance to Chelsea