Chelsea’s transfer business for 2025 has officially concluded with the end of this year’s summer window, and some intriguing stories are coming to light on who else BlueCo were looking at but couldn’t quite get over the line.
Enzo Maresca’s side surpassed the £280 million mark with their summer spending, but BlueCo’s hustle when it came to selling players meant that the club registered a positive net spend of around £3 million — raising £288m in outgoing transfers by the final count (BBC).
Kepa Arrizabalaga, Basir Humphreys, Noni Madueke, Marcus Bettinelli, Mathis Amougou, Djordje Petrovic, João Félix, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Armando Broja, Lesley Ugochukwu, Renato Veiga, Alfie Gilchrist, Carney Chukwuemeka, Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson and Ben Chilwell all departed the west London club permanently, with a host of top players joining in their stead.
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Chelsea’s summer transfers (permanent only) |
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Incoming |
Outgoing |
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Joao Pedro |
Noni Madueke |
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Jamie Gittens |
João Félix |
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Jorrel Hato |
Djordje Petrovic |
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Liam Delap |
Lesley Ugochukwu |
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Dario Essugo |
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall |
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Mamadou Sarr |
Renato Veiga |
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Estevao |
Armando Broja |
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Kendry Paez |
Carney Chukwuemeka |
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Alejandro Garnacho |
Mathis Amougou |
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Basir Humphreys |
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Kepa Arrizabalaga |
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Marcus Bettinelli |
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Christopher Nkunku |
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Nicolas Jackson |
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Alfie Gilchrist |
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Lucas Bergstrom |
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Chelsea’s record loan deal for Jackson, who eventually joined Bayern Munich on deadline day after a whirlwind few days for the Senegalese, now includes an obligation to buy for around £70.5 million in 2026 — which is poised to bring in even more cash to the Stamford Bridge coffers next year.
The window was a solid one for Chelsea, who injected some crucial new attacking options, but it wasn’t perfect, as Maresca asked for a centre-back behind-the-scenes only to see his wish unfulfilled.
Chelsea also saw their deal for Xavi Simons hijacked by Tottenham, whilst their bid for Barcelona star Fermin Lopez as an alternative to the Dutchman ultimately fell through after the 22-year-old made his intentions clear.
Before the deadline, Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton was also on their radar as a midfield target.
Chelsea held talks over signing Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton
That is according to TBR Football and journalist Graeme Bailey, who reports that Chelsea and Real Madrid had conversations about signing Wharton in August.
However, both sides were met with a brick wall, with the England defensive midfielder, valued at a staggering £100 million, deciding to stay at Palace and battle for a place in Thomas Tuchel’s 2026 World Cup squad.
“Wharton is one of those generational players where Europe’s big clubs are in regular contact – they don’t want to miss out,” said Bailey.
“Palace are firm in their response, they never entertained the prospect of a departure this summer and they made that known.
“I am told the player himself and his people are aware of the interest, but there are no signs of him wanting to leave. He is focused on having a full season with Palace and making England’s World Cup squad. That’s it.
“Palace and Wharton know if he continues his progress there will be big moves in the future, but that is for then and not now.”
The 21-year-old made 20 Premier League appearances for Palace last season, and it would’ve been more if not for the lengthy spell out after surgery on his groin and ankle problems.
Wharton’s fantastic 2024 performances earned him a spot in Gareth Southgate’s setup for Euro 2024, with the former Blackburn Rovers starlet marking himself out as one of England’s most exciting up-and-coming talents.
He’s even earned comparisons to Declan Rice already, so a future swoop from Chelsea for the player could be one to keep an eye on.
