Chelsea rivals will test the club's reputation for pricing players out of moves

Chelsea’s rivals are planning on testing their reputation for pricing players out of moves this summer, believing they are now in a position where they need to sell in order to beat the Premier League’s financial rules.

The Blues are notorious among their competitors for driving a hard bargain by slapping steep valuations on their stars, but speculation is rife that significant sales are required once the next transfer window opens.

Insiders at Chelsea insist that is not the case, adding that they are on course to be compliant with the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR). Yet the club’s accounts yesterday revealed a pre-tax loss of £90.1million for the year ending June 30, 2023. That followed on from a loss of £121.4m the previous year.

Despite Chelsea disputing the idea they need to engage in a fire sale to recoup those losses, rivals plan on testing their resolve. One club owner told Mail Sport yesterday they believe Chelsea will need to be ‘more realistic’ than in previous windows and that they would be willing to use any situation to their advantage if it meant securing themselves a better deal this summer.

June 30 is the date by which clubs need to make sure they are on the right side of PSR rules, and Chelsea made several sales before that deadline last summer, receiving £65m for Kai Havertz and £25m for Mateo Kovacic, among others.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino was asked about the club's financial situation at his pre-Newcastle press conference, including whether they would be allowed to spend this summer.

‘I don't know because I need to also be informed,' Pochettino said. ‘We will talk and I will be informed, for sure. But I don't know what's going to happen.’

Chelsea are guaranteed to generate