Chelsea could offload two first-team stars in January after Aston Villa and Borussia Dortmund set off the domino effect in the transfer market.
The Blues are set for another busy transfer window with as many as six unwanted players at Stamford Bridge set to be shown the door by head coach Enzo Maresca.
Renato Veiga, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Carney Chukwuemeka, Ben Chilwell, Christopher Nkunku and Cesare Casadei have all been linked with a move away from west London.
And the first two departures could be put in motion after reports emerged that Chelsea are edging closer to selling both Veiga and Chukwuemeka to Dortmund.
The Bundesliga giants have money to spend after agreeing to sell Donyell Malen in a £20m deal to Villa, a deal that could rise to £22m with add-ons.
Malen’s move to Villa Park will not only free up a spot in Nuri Sahin’s squad, but the Dutchman’s exit will add to the club’s transfer coffers – giving them the financial power to negotiate with Chelsea.
Talks between the two clubs have not always been successful after Ian Maatsen’s permanent move to Signal Iduna Park broke down over the transfer fee, with Maatsen ironically joining Villa for £37m.
But it seems that Veiga and Chukwumeka, both 21, could get their wish for more first-team minutes if they secure permanent moves to Germany.
The former only arrived in a £12m switch from FC Basel in the summer, but he has grown frustrated with the lack of opportunities to play as a centre-back.
Juventus, Napoli and Wolves have shown interest in capturing the Portugal international, but he has already agreed personal terms with Dortmund as the two clubs attempt to thrash out a deal.
Dortmund are more keen on a loan deal, while Chelsea are only said to be entertaining offers for a permanent transfer in the region of £25m due to Veiga’s importance as a versatile squad member.
Chukuwemeka has hardly featured under Maresca despite being fit, making just 130 minutes’ worth of appearances in a blue shirt. Despite that, Chelsea have so far refused to allow him to leave until his £40m release clause is met in full.
But the pair might get their wish now that Dortmund have received a timely cash injection through Malen’s sale.
Speaking ahead of their clash with Bournemouth on Tuesday, Maresca insisted he had no knowledge of Veiga’s apparent desire to leave Chelsea after telling the defender to wait patiently for his chance in the team.
“At the moment, I’m not aware there’s an agreement for Renato,” Maresca said on Monday. “The only thing I can say is that yesterday, he was here working with us and today he will be here with us.
“That means that at the moment he is our player. Then we will see if something happens. I’m not aware that there is any agreement already with him.”