Chelsea Transfer News Roundup: Blues advised to replace N'Golo Kante; Thomas Tuchel urged to offload 2 players, and more - 26 May 2022

Chelsea are likely to have a busy summer ahead after a disappointing 2021-22 season. The Blues lost both the EFL Cup and FA Cup finals on penalties and also finished third in the Premier League. They did win the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, though.

Meanwhile, Ian Wright has advised the London giants to replace N'Golo Kante this summer. Elsewhere, Gabriel Agbonlahor has urged Blues manager Thomas Tuchel to offload two players.

On that note, here's a look at the key Chelsea transfer stories as on 26 May 2022:

Ian Wright advises Chelsea to replace N'Golo Kante

Arsenal legend Ian Wright has advised Chelsea to sign a replacement for N'Golo Kante.

The French midfielder has struggled with injuries this season, and his absence has hurt the team. Three separate injuries forced him to miss 12 games across competitions.

Speaking recently, Wright also said that the Blues have lacked form this season.

"What's going to happen with Chelsea next season? Without an owner who used to just write off £100million every year. Is the new owner going to be able to do that? Because that's how they've been able to do what they have been doing. How's that going to happen now? They need defenders. They're going to need defenders," said Wright.

He continued:

"Kante's starting to get a little bit of injuries, so they're going to need to replace him. What's happening with (Romelu) Lukaku? It's just crazy what's happening at Chelsea. I can't really put my finger on it deep down. But form's gone; you see some of the games they've been so poor in the games."

However, Tuchel recently said about Kante:

"He plays only 40 per cent of the games, then it maybe is a miracle that we arrive in third-place. He is our Mo Salah, he is our (Virgil) Van Dijk, he is our (Kevin) De Bruyne. He is simply that player, he is our Neymar and Kylian Mbappe."

Considering the manager's statement, Kante is unlikely to be offloaded this summer. The Frenchman, though, is out of contract at the end of the next season.

Gabriel Agbonlahor urges Thomas Tuchel to offload Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech

Former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has urged Thomas Tuchel to offload both Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech this summer. Both players have struggled for game time under the German manager this season.

Speaking to talkSPORT (as per The Express), Agbonlahor said that neither player is good enough to help the Blues win the Premier League. He said:

“He will be looking at this season, and he will be looking at it as a disappointing season, a failure for a club like Chelsea. Yes, they lost on penalties in two domestic cups, but they still lost them; they didn’t have enough to win them over 120 minutes. Knocked out in the Champions League early for Chelsea recently, and to be so far off Man City and Liverpool, it’s not good enough."

He continued:

"You are losing Rudiger; you are losing Christensen; Lukaku has not been on form. He knows he has got a lot of players that he needs to bring into that squad and a lot of players that he probably needs to let go, players that haven’t turned up for him like Pulisic, Ziyech, are they the players that are going to get Chelsea back to winning the Premier League? I don’t think so.”

Both Pulisic and Ziyech scored eight times apiece across competitions last season.

Blues identify Matthijs de Ligt as number one target this summer

Chelsea have identified Matthijs de Ligt as their number one target ahead of the summer, according to Caught Offside via Calciomercato. The Blues are likely to see a mass exodus from their backline ahead of the new season. Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen are all set to leave as free agents, while Cesar Azpilicueta could also follow them out of Stamford Bridge.

A new defender has become a priority this summer, and the Blues have set their eyes on De Ligt. The Dutch defender has endured a mixed time at Juventus, but his stock remains high. Thomas Tuchel is convinced De Ligt would flourish under his system at Stamford Bridge. The player, though, has a £134.8 million release clause (as per Sky Sports) and could command a hefty transfer fee.