Chelsea to trim sizeable loan group

Chelsea are open to the fact that they need to sell a host of players, especially those that spent last season on loan.

The club's policy is not to carry a large group of loanees that are not expected or likely to make it into the first team.

In their 28-man Club World Cup selection, only one loanee progressed into Enzo Maresca squad from last season, midfielder Andrey Santos.

The rest, Raheem Sterling, Axel Disasi, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Djordje Petrovic, Armando Broja, Joao Felix, Renato Veiga, Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka, Lesley Ugochukwu and more - are mostly available for sale. The asking price for Kepa is known to be only £5m as he enters the last year of his contract, while Benfica are being credited with serious interest to re-sign Felix.

In Sterling's case, the winger made 12 starts on loan at North London club Arsenal last season while the Blues paid around half of his current £300,000-a-week wages.

EFL loanees like Alfie Gilchrist, Alex Matos, Leo Castledine and Zak Sturge are also exploring permanent transfers away from Stamford Bridge.

Defender Sturge, 20, is in advanced talks about making his loan move at Millwall permanent at the end of the season.

Chelsea prefer sales rather than loan moves at this stage but could relax their position later in the transfer window if they struggle to find exits for players.

Midfielders Kendry Paez and Mathis Amougou are expected to join Strasbourg on loan while goalkeeper Teddy Sharman-Lowe is in talks over a new contract and potentially joining League One club Bolton Wanderers on loan.