Chelsea's top transfer targets 'nervous' over summer move to Stamford Bridge

Chaos caused by sanctioning Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has left the club’s summer transfer targets ‘very nervous’ about a move, say football agents.

The Blues are up for sale with potential buyers asked to lodge bids with the merchant bank, the Raine Group, on Friday.

However, uncertainty over the sale, the new owners and even speculation about the future of manager Thomas Tuchel has made stars jumpy and looking elsewhere.

‘I would have thought it would have a significant impact on recruitment,’ football agent and sports lawyer, Dan Chapman, told Sportsmail.

‘Players and more likely agents will be very nervous about whether the club will be free of sanctions by [the summer], so investing too much time now on any prospect of a move to Chelsea might be seen as fruitless.’

Chapman said if a sale of the club proceeds quickly, there could yet be a flurry of activity in the summer.

But that will depend upon the new owner’s vision for the club and their strategy in the market, which may be different to the high rolling years of Abramovich.

As happened at Newcastle, any new owners will have to come up to speed on recruitment very quickly.

‘Realistically, until a sale happens, I would say Chelsea’s recruitment efforts are as frozen as their assets,’ added Chapman, who is a partner at Leathes Prior.

‘And agents will start looking elsewhere for their clients and that could impact Chelsea’s ability to land their primary targets.’

Oligarch owner, Abramovich, was sanctioned last week, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine,  after the government concluded he had close ties with the regime of President Vladimir Putin.

As a result, all Abramovich's assets were frozen in the UK, including Chelsea Football Club. The club is currently operating under a special licence from government.

Under the transfer rules, there should be no dialogue between contracted players and rival clubs regarding deals, because the window is closed.

In addition, the licence granted to Chelsea by the government prevents any new transactions, which includes transfers. It expires on May 31.

If the club is sold, the limitations on Chelsea’s activity are expected to be lifted.

Even so, the situation at Chelsea will weigh heavily on agents as they look at options for their clients, said Stephen Heath, a sports lawyer who works on transfers at JMW solicitors.

‘It is a disruptor for agents and players as they are considering what their options are likely to be in the summer,’ said Heath.

‘If their preference was to do a deal with Chelsea they would have to consider whether it is in the best interest of their player to look elsewhere because they may not be able to do that deal.’

The deadline for bids to buy Chelsea is Friday. Any potential buyer of the club will then have 10 weeks to complete the purchase before the end of the season.

However, the sale of the club may not even relieve doubts in the minds of players looking for a move, given the seismic upheaval at Stamford Bridge. Joining Chelsea under Abramovich is a different prospect to signing up for a new project under an unknown owner.

‘There is also issue of managerial uncertainty,’ one agent told Sportsmail. ‘Will Tuchel stay under new owners or go to Manchester United? Tuchel sets the tone.’