A FORGOTTEN Chelsea star could be set for a Blues lifeline by Mauricio Pochettino – despite suffering three-straight relegations.
The Argentine is the latest man tasked with transforming Chelsea and he is looking to trim his squad.
Midfielder N’Golo Kante is departing Stamford Bridge when his contract expires at the end of this month for the Middle East.
The 32-year-old French ace has penned a mega £1.7m-a-week deal – SIX TIMES what he earns in West London – with Al-Ittihad.
We have also revealed how outcast striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 32, is in talks to join one of the four Saudi Pro League clubs owned by the Public Investment Fund.
Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly is also being offered an escape from Chelsea by the Saudis.
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Striker Romelu Lukaku, who was loaned to Inter Milan, has also been offered an incredible £21m-a-year deal by Al-Hilal while Hakim Ziyech is wanted by Al-Nassr.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek is another star who could be heading out, with AC Milan willing to pay about £20m.
Brazilian Andrey Santos finally got the green light to link up with the Blues on their pre-season tour and Pochettino is reportedly set to take a look at some of their British stars before deciding on who else to ship out of his bloated squad.
And one of those could be the versatile Welsh international Ethan Ampadu, 22, according to the Absolue Chelsea website.
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The former Exeter City ace, who can play centre-back or midfield, arrived at the club in 2016 but he has only made 12 appearances for the first-team since.
The ex-England youth player, who represented Wales at the World Cup in December, has spent the past four seasons away from Stamford Bridge on loan.
He firstly went to Germany with RB Leipzig then spent the next campaign with Sheffield United, where he played 29 matches as they were relegated from the Premier League.
Ampadu then headed to Italy with Venezia but they finished bottom of Serie A in 2021/22.
Last summer he was back in Serie A with Spezia, but once again he was to suffer disappointment as they lost their top-flight status.
Now he is due to return to Chelsea for pre-season training and he will be desperate to catch the eye of Pochettino before he chooses the players he wants to take on tour of America.
They will play Wrexham, Brighton, Newcastle, Fulham and Borussia Dortmund while Stateside.
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