Chelsea have terminated Ross Barkley's contract by mutual consent. (GETTY Images)
Chelsea are considering paying off Ross Barkley to offload the midfielder before the summer transfer window closes. This is according to a report in The Sun.
The 28-year-old is said to earn around £200,000 a week and has a year still left in his current contract. It would take a huge amount to be paid, but new co-owner Todd Boehly may make an offer to offload the player.
Barkley is way down the pecking order and it makes very little sense to pay that huge salary to such a player. He is nowhere near Thomas Tuchel’s plans for this season and offloading the midfielder makes complete sense.
The midfielder joined the Blues in 2018 from Everton. Since then, he has struggled to establish himself in the team. He struggled for minutes last season as he managed to make only 14 appearances for the club in all competitions.
He was included in the pre-season squad by Tuchel. But he failed to impress anyone, let alone the coach. Since then, he has not been involved with the team at all and is yet to play his first minutes this season. And now the club are considering paying him off.
Five midfielders are ahead of him in the pecking order and Tuchel is very likely to rotate them throughout the season. The Blues are also in the race for Anthony Gordon from Everton and are looking likely to seal a deal for him. Even if Gordon does not arrive, it is highly unlikely that Barkley will be able to change Tuchel’s mind.
It remains to be seen what, if any, deal can be reached with the midfielder to terminate his contract. If he stays, a large chunk of wages would have to be paid to a player who is hardly likely to play. If he leaves for a settled amount, the money saved could be utilised elsewhere.
Chelsea, meanwhile, will hope to continue their good form. They won their previous game at home against Leicester City 2-1. The Blues now prepare to travel and take on Southampton this Tuesday.
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