The 14 players in Chelsea’s ‘bomb squad’ that could see frantic fire sale including Raheem Sterling and Romelu Lukaku

Chelsea are expected to conduct an emergency sale in transfer deadline week with 15 to 20 players absent from first-team training.

Enzo Maresca was quick to put an end to jokes about his 40-man training session after Chelsea made another ten new signings this summer.

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This included Joao Felix, who scored in the Blues’ 6-2 win over Wolves on Sunday.

“The other 15 to 20 are training separately,” Maresca said. “I don’t see them. It’s not the chaos it seems from the outside.”

Meanwhile, the Blues are still after Victor Osimhen from Napoli.

And The Pitch Prospect has learned that Chelsea have been asked to be kept updated on the situation of Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho as well.

The Blues sold homegrown midfielder Conor Gallagher to Atletico Madrid last week. The England international made his debut on Sunday. Ian Maatsen was also sold to Aston Villa for £37.5 million.

However, Chelsea still have to sell 14 players by August 30th.

So who is part of what fans are calling Chelsea’s ‘bomb squad’ that the Blues need to re-sign before the deadline?

Currently, Romelu Lukaku, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Ben Chilwell, Raheem Sterling, Trevoh Chalobah, Djordje Petrovic, Carney Chukwuemeka, David Datro Fofana, Armando Broja, Angelo Gabriel, Deivid Washington, Alex Matos, Harvey Vale and Lukas Bergstrom all need new clubs.

Striker Lukaku has not played for Chelsea since 2022, but remained under contract with the Blues after loan spells at Inter Milan and then Roma.

The Belgian is expected to return to Serie A once again, but this time on a permanent basis, and has joined Napoli in a deal worth £30 million, which is yet to be confirmed at the time of writing.

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Last week, The Pitch Prospect reported that goalkeeper Arrizabalaga, who spent last season on loan at Real Madrid, is on Bournemouth’s radar for a loan move.

According to football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the wheels are in motion for this deal and Kepa is expected to travel to Bournemouth for a medical on Monday.

Outsiders Ben Chilwell and Raheem Sterling have been linked with Manchester United and The Pitch Prospect has learned that the former has received an offer from the Red Devils.

Another homegrown player, defender Trevoh Chalobah, has not yet been included in Maresca’s squad.

He was even stripped of his squad number as the club wanted to force a transfer and make pure profit for the Blues man.

Chelsea accepted £25 million from Nottingham Forest last summer, but the player rejected the move.

Chelsea’s co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley face a tough task if they are to avoid having an entire second squad of unused players on the club’s payroll.

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Armando Broja’s possible loan move to Ipswich Town is in danger of failing due to an injury discovered during the medical.

And the fact that stars have been on display for most of the summer with little interest shows that not many teams are willing to play this summer – especially with players earning such high salaries at Chelsea.

Sterling, for example, earns over £300,000 a week.

Two years into a five-year deal he signed for £47.5m from Manchester City, the 29-year-old has a remaining book value of a staggering £28.5m.

Chelsea will face Servette in the second leg of the Europa Conference League play-offs on Thursday.

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