Chelsea sanction double exit with £169m duo set to leave following Maresca banishment

Two Chelsea stars are on the verge of leaving the club as Fabrizio Romano has clarified the state of play regarding both players.

With the summer transfer window set to close on Friday, Chelsea will be gearing themselves up for a busy week with potential incomings and departures on the cards.

A number of senior players are currently training away from the first team with the club working to sell those stars in the coming days.

One of the senior stars training with the development squad was Kepa who is set to seal a season-long loan move to Bournemouth.

As confirmed by Romano, the Spaniard has also extended his contract with Chelsea until 2026 in order to protect his valuation.

“Kepa to Bournemouth, deal done and medical tests ongoing now,” Romano confirmed on X.

“Kepa signs one more year of contract at Chelsea now valid until June 2026 and joins Bournemouth on loan until July. Agreement done between all parties.”

The Spanish goalkeeper originally joined Chelsea back in 2018 for a fee of around £71.6m. Since arriving in England, it’s fair to say that he’s had some mixed fortunes.

After spending last season on loan with Real Madrid, the 29-year-old will now spend the 2024/25 campaign with Bournemouth.

Along with Kepa’s departure, Romelu Lukaku is also nearing a permanent switch to Napoli with a €30m deal being in place.

MORE ON CHELSEA FROM F365
👉 Man Utd warned against move for Chelsea star amid potential ‘bomb squad’ U-turn
👉 Chelsea ‘make move’ as Osimhen alternative ‘says yes’ to £51m transfer while PSG plot ‘last-minute offer’
👉 Chelsea icon responds as current Blues striker tells him to ‘shut his mouth’

Chelsea splashed £97.5m to bring the Belgian back to Stamford Bridge, but the signing has proven to be a total disaster for both the club and player.

Having spent the last two years out on loan, the 31-year-old is now set to leave Chelsea on a permanent basis according to Romano.

“Green light also on documents for Romelu Lukaku’s move to Napoli,” Romano confirmed on X.

“He’s been authorized to travel for medical tests and contract signing. €30m permanent deal plus add-ons, deal until June 2027. Never in doubt. Here we go, confirmed.”

In total, Chelsea spent around £169m to sign Lukaku and Kepa, with the club prepared to accept heavy losses on both players.

Along with their imminent departures, Chelsea are also ready to offload the likes of Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell and Trevoh Chalobah amongst others before the window ends.

“When you don’t find a solution you can create some problems but at the moment, with the squad that we have, I am working with 21, 22, 23 players because it is impossible for any manager in the world to make a session with 42 players. For sure, you cannot do that,” Maresca said when discussing player sales.

“Hopefully, when the window is finished, if we find a solution for them (unwanted players) it is better – but if we don’t find a solution, I don’t know what we’re going to see.”

More: Chelsea | Enzo Maresca | Premier League