Chelsea confirm they have released 13 players ahead of the 23/24 season

Chelsea have parted ways with 13 players ahead of the 23/24 season.

For the Stamford Bridge club, the 22/23 season was one to forget as they failed to live up to the expectations.

Despite spending huge money on new players, Chelsea ended up finishing 12th in the Premier League and also sacked two managers in the shapes of Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter.

As new manager Mauricio Pochettino prepares for the new season, the club have confirmed the departures of 13 players.

Headlining the departures is French midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko, who will leave the club after failing to rediscover the football he showed during his time with Monaco that got him the move to the Premier League.

Since joining the club in 2017, Bakayoko made a total of 43 appearances for the Blues and spent time on loan at clubs like Monaco and AC Milan, with whom he won the Serie A title.

Chelsea released a statement thanking Bakayoko, it said: “We thank Tiemoue for his contribution during his season at Stamford Bridge.”

In addition to Bakayoko, Chelsea have confirmed these players will also depart the club.

Derrick Abu, Prince Adegoke, Nathan Baxter, Juan Carlos Familia Castillo, Bryan Benjamin Fiabema, Joe Haigh, Henry Lawrence, Sam McClelland, Dujon Sterling, Amari Silko, Ethan Wady and Jayden Wareham.

The list of players retained for the 2023/24 season has been published, with Tiemoue Bakayoko’s departure from the club now confirmed.

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) June 16, 2023

 The list did not include midfielder N’Golo Kante, whose contract is set to expire at the end of the month.

It has been reported that Chelsea have offered the 32-year-old a new contract offer.

However, it is believed that Kante is closing in on a big-money move to the Middle East, with Saudi Professional League club Al Ittihad the favourites to land the midfielder.

In terms of incomings, there have been reports that Chelsea are targeting Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo as they look to beat Arsenal to his signature.

Apart from Caicedo, Chelsea have also been linked with the likes of Andre Onana, Lautaro Martinez and Robert Sanchez.