CHELSEA are looking to make a statement this summer with a £135million move for in-demand Erling Haaland.
Borussia Dortmund are believed to have named their price for the Norwegian striker, 21, with a host of clubs hot on his trail.
The Blues have also been warned they will need to make Haaland the highest-paid player at the club in order to sign him.
N’Golo Kante currently rakes in £290,000 a week at Stamford Bridge – with Haaland’s salary set to be upwards of £300,000 per week.
But there is some good news for Chelsea: They can claw back over £1MILLION a week in wages alone if they axe a dozen flops this summer.
The Blues have long had one of the biggest squads in the Premier League, happy to loan out youngsters and fringe players year after year.
But with transfer fees rising at an astronomical rate, they are now seemingly more willing to cash-in on their outcasts.
This summer alone, Chelsea have sold Fikayo Tomori to AC Milan following his year-long loan in Italy.
Now Roman Abramovich and Thomas Tuchel may decide to sell 12 more this window alone to raise over £100m in cash and £1m a week in wages.
Kepa Arrizabalaga – still the world’s most expensive goalkeeper at £71.6m – could be the highest profile name to be sold.
The Spaniard has endured a horror stint in England and has even lost his place in his national squad – beaten to the Euro 2020 squad by Unai Simon, David De Gea and Robert Sanchez.
Currently earning £150,000 a week, Chelsea know they won’t recoup the full £71.6m they paid for him in 2018, but will be relieved to see his wages cut from their bill currently behind Edouard Mendy in the pecking order.
Callum Hudson-Odoi is another big-earning fringe player, currently on £120,000 per week, with the England star having been targeted by Bayern Munich in recent seasons.
Outcasts Tiemoue Bakayoko (£110,000) and Danny Drinkwater (£100,000) both rake in six-figure salaries per week despite being nowhere near the Chelsea first-team.
Ross Barkley and Baba Rahman both rake in £96,000 a week – with both set for the axe.
Michy Batshuayi pockets £90,000 weekly, with Emerson Palmieri (£75,000) and Davide Zappacosta (£70,000) other big-earning misfits.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (£60,000), Tammy Abraham (£58,000) and Kenedy (£25,000) are three other player linked with a summer move away from West London.
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All in all, axing the dozen outcasts would see Chelsea recoup £1.05m per week – more than enough to secure the signing of Haaland.
Over the course of a year, the the Blues would save £54.6m.
Should they offer Haaland £350,000 per week, they will still make a saving of £36.4m over the year – which they could use to put towards his £135m price-tag.
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