Chelsea plan to offload this out-of-favour trio before the end of the transfer window

Chelsea are ready to let go of Ross Barkley, Danny Drinkwater, and Davide Zappacosta this summer

According to journalist Nizaar Kinsella (h/t football.london), Chelsea are set to offload the likes of Ross Barkley, Davide Zappacosta, and Danny Drinkwater before the end of the summer transfer window.

The Blues, who are stacked in a number of areas might now consider the trio to surplus to requirements. 

Thomas Tuchel has played a majority of his Chelsea tenure with the midfield trio of Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho, and N’Golo Kante, while he has done the same for the two games they have played this season, meaning that Drinkwater might not feature in his plans.

Barkley, who plays as a No.10, might be unfortunate in this sense as Tuchel’s current system already has a number of players on the wings and in the attacking midfield roles, while the former Everton man also failed to impress on loan at Aston Villa last season. 

Zappacosta, who was also sent out on loan last season to Genoa, has been out of favour at the club before Tuchel’s arrival, while there are already a few players who can play his role at the club in the form of Reece James, Cesar Azpilicueta, and Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Ironically enough, all three players were signed by then the manager Antonio Conte in the 2017/18 season, although Barkley joined the Blues in the winter transfer window, unlike Drinkwater and Zappacosta, who joined in the summer. 

The three players were also part of the club’s FA Cup Victory in 2018, while Barkley and Zappacosta also featured for the Blues during the club’s Europa League victory in 2019, under then-manager Maurizio Sarri.

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While the Blues are ready to accept offers for the trio, it remains to be seen whether they do manage to offload them before the end of the summer transfer window.