Predicting where Chelsea’s best players will go next without Champions League football | OneFootball

Chelsea have no chance of finishing in the top five after their losing streak continued and only have one possible (but unlikely) route into the Champions League for next season.

Only if Aston Villa finish fifth and win the Europa League would sixth place become worthy of a Champions League spot, but Chelsea even face an uphill battle to get there, finding themselves four points behind current occupants Bournemouth with three games left.

For the 2025 Club World Cup winners, missing out on Europe’s top competition will be a major underachievement, but it isn’t a surprise given how things have gone recently.

Following Enzo Maresca’s departure in January, Chelsea handed the reins to the inexperienced Liam Rosenior. He only lasted a few miserable months and now interim boss Calum McFarlane is seeing out the season for them.

In the bigger picture, Chelsea are paying the price for years of wayward management at boardroom level since the BlueCo takeover in 2022.

The financial implications of missing out on Champions League football could put pressure on them to sell some of their big-name players, even if frustrated fans might not miss too many of them.

Some of those so-called stars might start agitating for a move as well if they deem themselves worthy of the bigger stage of Champions League football.

In either case, where might Chelsea’s supposedly better players go – or at least be linked with – to get back among the European elite?

Enzo Fernandez – Real Madrid

Fernandez caused a stir by citing Madrid as a place he’d like to live recently, which Chelsea responded to by suspending him from their squad for a couple of games.

The comments were seen as a hint at Real Madrid’s interest, although his camp insisted otherwise.

Chelsea have Fernandez under contract until 2032, but may face pressure to keep hold of the player they made their record signing in January 2023.

Real Madrid are aiming to add some quality to their midfield this summer after falling short of any trophies this season, which is why Fernandez is in their sights.

It would take a big effort financially, but Madrid might be overdue an expensive signing if they are to get back to where they belong.

Fernandez offers goals and assists and would seem well suited to Spanish football.

Joao Pedro – Barcelona

While things haven’t gone well for Chelsea this season, Pedro can reflect on a productive first year in west London, in which he has scored 20 goals.

The former Brighton forward has certainly fared better than fellow striker signing Liam Delap, who may be the preferable player for Chelsea to shift.

But Pedro might just have played his way into the shop window. Barcelona have been linked, as have some other Premier League clubs.

Barca are looking for a long-term successor to Robert Lewandowski, who will be hard to replace.

They’ve gone down the Brazilian route before, sometimes to good effect and sometimes not, so their interest in Pedro isn’t implausible.

The question is whether they could afford him. Barcelona have struggled to pay big transfer fees in recent years and you can imagine Chelsea holding out for a high price.

This one would likely require some pressure to be pulled off.

Cole Palmer – Manchester United

Is Palmer still one of Chelsea’s best players? It could be debatable with his sink in form recently, but he would theoretically still command a high transfer fee after his previous impact.

Protected by a long-term contract at Stamford Bridge (who isn’t?), Palmer would be hard to prise away from Chelsea, but a return to his roots in the north west might appeal.

Although he used to play for Manchester City, the attacking midfielder grew up as a Manchester United fan. The prospect of him playing for his boyhood club one day isn’t impossible to imagine.

And despite their torrid 2024-25 campaign, United’s recent resurgence under Michael Carrick has secured them Champions League football for next season.

They will need to make some ambitious signings to be competitive at that level. Whether Palmer would be the right addition is up for question, especially if Bruno Fernandes stays, but the attraction doesn’t seem to be going away.

Palmer himself has laughed off the links, but United have positioned themselves into a better place than Chelsea and will be looking to make that sustainable.

Marc Cucurella – Barcelona

Cucurella was given a payrise in the summer but without extending his contract beyond 2028.

The left-back has recently been touted for a return to Barcelona, where he developed in the youth ranks and played more than 50 times for the B team (and once for the first team).

Cucurella himself admitted in March that if Barcelona were to make an offer, he would have to take it seriously.

“It is clear if that situation did arise, it is hard to turn down, but I would have to consider it in the end,” he stated.

“It is not just me, I also have to think about my family and together we would have to decide what’s best for us.

“As I have said before, right now I am not thinking about that. If it comes, it will come, and we will see what decision is made.”

Cucurella would offer more senior support to Barca’s current left-backs, Alejandro Balde and Gerard Martin.

Wesley Fofana – AC Milan

Fofana has finally been available on a consistent basis this season after an injury-plagued first three years at Stamford Bridge.

It could have been different, since hometown club Marseille attempted to sign him in the summer.

OM themselves are unlikely to have Champions League football on offer next season, so they might not have much more to offer than Chelsea other than hometown pull.

Besides, the French club will have a new sporting director in charge this summer, so it remains to be seen if they’d still be interested.

Another club Fofana has been linked with more recently is AC Milan, who have taken their fair share of players away from Chelsea in recent years.

Milan are battling to stay in Serie A’s top four at the moment but are a big enough club to keep competing for signings that could be expensive, such as Fofana.

The Frenchman has three years left on his contract with Chelsea, who originally paid £80m to sign him from Leicester City in 2022.

At that stage, they hoped he would become one of the best defenders in the world. His physical problems haven’t helped, but he is still only 25 and will be looking to make up for lost time, whether with Chelsea or another club.