Chelsea rarely lose any player that they want to keep without receiving a giant fee in the process, but there is a danger that they could need to overhaul the centre of their defence next year by losing three key starters for nothing.
The situations with Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger and Thiago Silva are all slightly different, but they could all end the same way if they leave for free next summer.
With Thiago Silva it wouldn’t be a great shock because of his age, and a report from Tuttomercatoweb are suggesting that talks are ongoing about a return to Brazil with Fluminense, and it would be a good way to end his career by returning home while he’s still got a year or two at the highest level.
His departure could then open up a gap for Rudiger and Christensen to emerge as leaders going forward, but they are also out of contract in the summer and the situation does look worrying.
Goal reported yesterday that the Danish star can negotiate with other clubs from January, but it’s also believed that he is keen to stay. The problem is that Chelsea’s offer of a new contract will see him earn a lot less than his teammates and that always opens the door to an agent pushing for the play to hold out until January to see what else is out there.
There’s also a similar situation with Antonio Rudiger as there are suggestions that he could leave next summer with interest coming in and his contract running down, while that report also indicates that Cesar Azpilicueta could be in a similar boat so that’s a lot of experience that could walk out the door.
It’s easy to get on Chelsea for letting the contracts get in this situation but Christensen and Rudiger have only fully emerged as key players over the last year or so and had even looked like players who would be sold in previous windows, but it could be a huge task to find replacements next summer if they do end up leaving.