Chelsea set for a late clear-out of stars before transfer window closes

Chelsea are looking to move three or four players out of Stamford Bridge before the transfer window closes next week.

Ross Barkley this week made the move to Aston Villa on loan in a bid to reignite his England career. With Chelsea having made seven signings this summer, it's thought that Barkley may not be the only player out the door either.

The most heavily-rumoured to be going is Antonio Rudiger. The German centre-back is thought to be surplus to requirements in Frank Lampard's plans, following the arrival of Thiago Silva from Paris Saint-Germain. Given that Rudiger hasn't been included in a matchday squad this season, whispers are getting louder that he could be on his way out of the club.

Tottenham Hotspur have emerged as a surprising potential destination for the defender. Spurs have been trying to tempt Milan Skriniar to the club from Inter Milan but Rudiger would be an easier coup. Whether Chelsea would want to sell to a rival is debatable, though.

Fikayo Tomori and Marcos Alonso are two other defenders linked with moves away from West London. Alonso is a target for Inter - he thrived at Chelsea under Antonio Conte, after all - while Tomori has generated interest from the likes of Everton. Lampard is said to be keen on Tomori but would like to lose either Alonso or Emerson, given the arrival of Ben Chilwell as the first-choice left-back.

Andreas Christensen seems to have played his way into being Lampard's first centre-back on the team sheet, despite a red card against Liverpool. Kurt Zouma is also staying at the club. In midfield, however, there have been whispers about three more players going.

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N'Golo Kante was briefly linked with an exit to Manchester United but given Roman Abramovich's love of the player, it's unlikely that he will depart. Ruben Loftus-Cheek is a much more likely candidate to go, with a host of Premier League sides interested. 

There has also been talk that Jorginho would leave the club too. Rumours of a move to Juventus were quashed by Maurizio Sarri's sacking in Turin, though Arsenal were thought to be interested in the regista, too. This seems highly unlikely, however, given that the Gunners already have a similar - if not superior - player in Granit Xhaka.

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The only other player that Chelsea would be keen to sell before the window closes is Kepa Arrizabalaga. The costly Spanish keeper has already dropped his first clanger of the season - against Liverpool - and with Eduoard Mendy coming in to replace him, his playing time looks limited - especially with Chelsea exiting the League Cup this week.

Chelsea would love to sell their former record signing but are resigned to having to keep him around, thanks to his expensive, long contract. 

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