Mauricio Pochettino has reportedly made plans to trim his Chelsea squad and is reportedly ready to sell Marc Cucurella amid renewed interest from Newcastle United.
Pochettino will inherit a bloated squad when he arrives at Stamford Bridge next month, with former managers Graham Potter and Frank Lampard bemoaning Chelsea's sheer numbers last season.
Selling unused talent will not only make things easier for Pochettino as he tries to steer Chelsea back to the top of the table but also raise much-needed funds after the club has enjoyed an extraordinary spending spree over the past 12 months.
Chelsea's American owners have spent almost 600m on players and are looking to spend more this summer to bring Moises Caicedo and Nicolas Jackson, among others, to West London.
A number of players are expected to leave Stamford Bridge to make up for the arrivals and Pochettino is set to lose Cucurella, according to the Daily Mirror.
Eyebrows were raised when Chelsea spent in excess of 60m for the Brighton left-back around this time last year and the deal looked increasingly in doubt as the Spaniard struggled last season.
Despite his plunge in Stamford Bridge, Cucurella still has admirers in the Premier League and is attracting interest from Newcastle. The Magpies enjoyed a stellar 2022-23 season, finishing fourth and securing a spot in next season's Champions League.
Eddie Howe is therefore looking forward to welcoming a number of new players to St James' Park, including the left-back who has been heavily linked with a move for Kieran Tierney from Arsenal.
Cucurella has emerged as another option but Newcastle is only willing to pay around 30m for the 24-year-old, who was double the signing 12 months ago. Speaking of Newcastle's summer transfer plans at the end of the season, Howe said: "I hope to do a few things and I don't think being in the Champions League is going to change the numbers.
"We need to build a squad for the Champions League so that the top four doesn't change the number of players brought in."
"As I said, there won't be a lot of numbers and a lot of big steps. Hopefully, the right two or three players will make us better."
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