
Chelsea
Premier League • England
The incredible Chelsea XI for 2025-26 with three new signings for Prem title charge

Who could Chelsea add to their lineup for next season?
Chelsea could be a force to be reckoned with in 2025-26 if they get their squad building right, but what exactly will their lineup look like?
Things finally seem to be settling down at Stamford Bridge after a couple of years of haphazard spending under the new owners. Chelsea are on track for Champions League qualification for the first time 2022. Now, if they have any sense about them, they won’t need any more overhauls, but could still strengthen with a few new signings.
Sources are suggesting that Chelsea internally believe they could challenge for the Premier League title next season with ‘two or three important signings’. But in a best-case scenario, who could those signings be and what would they be adding to?
Here, TEAMtalk takes a look at the potential Chelsea XI for 2025-26, including three new signings.
GK – Djordje Petrovic
The goalkeeper position has been one Chelsea have struggled to get right for several years, ever since forking out £72m for Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Kepa struggled to live up to his price tag and hasn’t played for Chelsea since May 2023. Ironically, though, he has been one of the best-performing goalkeepers on their books this season, earning praise for his performances on loan at Bournemouth, where there seems to be mutual interest in making his stay permanent.
It’s believed the three keepers Chelsea have in contention for the no.1 spot next season are current options Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen, plus Djordje Petrovic who has impressed on loan at Strasbourg.
Petrovic has become a target for recently promoted Leeds United, but while Chelsea continue to publicly back Sanchez, they should be looking to reintegrate the Serbia international.
He has the second-best save percentage in Ligue 1 this season and wasn’t even doing too badly before Chelsea sent him out on loan.
He’ll be looking to maintain a starting role for his progress next season, so may have to consider his future, but Chelsea would be wise to take another look at him.
RB – Reece James
While James is the captain of Chelsea and their best-paid player, his injury issues have allowed Malo Gusto to start more often at right-back this season.
Both players have long-term contracts, with Gusto tied down until 2030 and James committed until 2028. There’s also the young Josh Acheampong to throw into the mix at right-back.
There have been mixed reviews of Gusto’s form, whereas for James, the issue is his fitness. If he can avoid injury, he would be the first-choice starter in his position.
But the last season he got through without an injury was 2018-19, when he was on loan at Wigan.
READ MORE ➡️ Chelsea wages: Top 10 highest-paid players at Stamford Bridge
CB – Dean Huijsen
Centre-back is an area Chelsea are looking to strengthen this summer after having to recall Trevoh Chalobah from loan in January due to injuries within their ranks.
The Blues are one of several clubs embroiled in the race to sign Huijsen this summer – and while the word gets thrown around in a lot of transfer reports, this one genuinely is a race.
Huijsen has looked decent value for his £50m release clause during his debut season at Bournemouth, so multiple clubs are thinking of triggering it early.
In fact, the Spain international’s future could be decided during the early transfer window in the first 10 days of June, before the Club World Cup – which Chelsea will be participating in.
While they will have to be more convincing than the likes of Liverpool or Real Madrid, Chelsea could hit the accelerator to snap Huijsen up.
Sources have relayed their confidence that they can sign the 20-year-old, who they are willing to offer a seven-year contract to.
CB – Levi Colwill
Of Chelsea’s existing crop of defenders, Colwill is the one to have amassed the most minutes this season, with more than 50 hours of action in all competitions.
Maresca publicly earmarked Colwill as a potential future Chelsea captain back in January, which suggests he will be viewed as a key player as long as the Italian head coach sticks around.
The Chelsea academy product has previously attracted interest from some of their Premier League rivals, but his contract is valid until 2029 with the option of an extra year.
As a left-footed centre-back, Colwill brings balance for Chelsea. He has been able to play in his natural position far more often than last season, when he sometimes covered at left-back.
His consistency can improve, but at the age of 22 he deserves the time to progress.
Highest rated centrebacks in the Premier League this season (Performance Index) ⚔️
🇳🇱 98 — Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool, 33)
🇫🇷 90 — William Saliba (Arsenal, 24)
🏴 83 — Levi Colwill (Chelsea, 22)
🇳🇬 82 — Calvin Bassey (Fulham, 25)
🇫🇷 81 — Ibrahima Konaté (Liverpool, 25)📊 Free… pic.twitter.com/nIs8ZJsLVP
— DataMB (@DataMB_) May 8, 2025
LB – Marc Cucurella
After two average seasons since his move from Brighton, Chelsea would have been hoping that Cucurella could carry over his better form with Spain at Euro 2024 into his third campaign in their colours.
And it’s worked, with Cucurella establishing himself as Chelsea’s first-choice left-back – so much so that they were willing to let Ben Chilwell and Renato Veiga go in January.
From a goalscoring perspective – not that it’s his main job – this has been by far the best season of Cucurella’s career, and also his busiest in English football in terms of appearances.
Cucurella has been tentatively linked with a return to Spain with one of LaLiga’s big hitters, but Chelsea want to keep him and have him on a contract until 2028.
DM – Moises Caicedo
Chelsea committed to a fee that could break the British transfer record if add-ons are activated when they bought Caicedo from Brighton in 2023.
With a price tag of up to £115m, it’s fair to say there were high expectations for the Ecuador midfielder. And in an era where goals and assists dominate football discourse, it was going to be a challenge for a defensive midfielder to prove his worth.
This season, his second in Chelsea colours, has seen Caicedo take a massive leap. He was recently chosen by fans and players as Chelsea’s Player of the Season for 2024-25.
While he has sometimes been asked to cover at right-back, Caicedo has stood out in the midfield territory he calls his home.
At the time of writing, Caicedo has started all of Chelsea’s Premier League matches this season. He’s going to have a massive part to play in the next one too.
CM – Romeo Lavia
Will next season be the year when Chelsea finally get to give Lavia a regular role?
They have been huge admirers of the former Manchester City and Southampton player for a long time, but since signing him in 2023, injury issues have disrupted his progress.
Lavia has shown his importance to Chelsea when available in recent weeks, so if he can remain fully fit, he ought to be a key player next season.
Sources confirmed to TEAMtalk in March that Lavia would attract interest if he was made available, but Chelsea have not been actively looking to get rid of him.
His contract is still valid until 2030 and the Belgium midfielder is happy at the club.
Chelsea HAVEN’T LOST in the last 10 games ROMEO LAVIA has started in. 💪 pic.twitter.com/MZYhhqDXTV
— Talk Chelsea (@talkchelsea) May 10, 2025
CM – Enzo Fernandez
If you’re going to spend £106.8m on a player, you’re going to have to give him a key role. That’s exactly what Chelsea have done with Fernandez since his arrival from Benfica in January 2023.
He was appointed as vice-captain when Enzo Maresca took charge and has been productive since, recording 20 goal contributions in a significant improvement from his 2023-24 numbers.
Due to Reece James’ absences, Fernandez has worn the armband more often than not in 2024-25, emerging as a leader and player Chelsea are building around.
He has recently surpassed 100 Chelsea appearances, the first Argentine player to do so for the Blues.
RW – Cole Palmer
Palmer had just three Premier League starts to his name when Chelsea splashed out £40m to sign him from Manchester City. But he soon carved out an indispensable role for himself at Stamford Bridge.
The attacking midfielder was a revelation in his first season at Chelsea, scoring 22 goals in the Premier League. Quite quickly, it became clear he was someone to build around.
And while he won’t match those numbers by the end of this season, he has still managed to score 15 times in the top flight in 2024-25, in spite of a near-four-month gap between his two most recent league goals.
Palmer remains one of Chelsea’s key players and will likely keep the right-wing spot nailed down in their current system.
LW – Morgan Rogers
Chelsea added a new winger last summer with the signing of Pedro Neto from Wolves, but they still want to enhance their options out wide – especially as they look likely to pay a penalty fee to send Jadon Sancho back to Manchester United.
A move for United’s Alejandro Garnacho was explored in January, while Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens – who briefly spent some time in their academy as a child – is also on their shortlist.
TEAMtalk has also revealed Chelsea’s interest in Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, who would cost in the region of £90m to sign.
Maresca remembers Rogers from his time in Manchester City’s academy and the 22-year-old fits into Chelsea’s recruitment policy.
It would be difficult to prise him away from Villa, but Rogers is open to a move (without wanting to push for one).
This season, Rogers has played mainly as a central attacking midfielder, but as a right-footer, he could cut in from the left wing to score and create chances.
ST – Benjamin Sesko
Multiple clubs are in the market for a new striker to take them to the next level this summer – and Chelsea are one of them.
Nicolas Jackson has scored 10 times in the Premier League, but Chelsea could do with someone capable of doing double that if they really are to push for the title.
One of the most appealing names on their shortlist is Sesko, who looks ready for the next step after matching the best goalscoring season of his career this term with RB Leipzig.
The Slovenia striker will be 22 years old by the time next season comes around, so fits into Chelsea’s focus on bringing in valuable players with long-term potential.
A lofty target man, he averages about 15 league goals per season, which doesn’t quite dwarf Jackson’s output but does show his superiority – and he has time on his side to get even better.
A lot of clubs will have Sesko on their radar, but Chelsea made contact for him as far back as December, according to sources.
Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap also has admirers at Chelsea, but he is waiting to see if a move to Manchester United materialises, so Sesko is a strong alternative option for the Blues after they made a fresh approach.