Chelsea can raise millions to seal blockbuster January transfer as £80m trio head for exit

head coach could get his wish for new signings this month, as the club prepare to raise millions by selling three unwanted stars in the January transfer window.

The Blues have embarked on a four-game run without a win in the after drawing 1-1 with Crystal Palace on Saturday, which followed disappointing defeats to Fulham and Ipswich.

The Italian boss hinted he is open to making further improvements to his squad in the coming weeks despite spending £220million in the summer, with long-term injuries to Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile forcing him to take action.

Addressing , Maresca said: “Even if we don’t decide to buy players or sell players because Josh has shown he is good, we already knew Josh was good enough. Probably with Wes and Benoit’s injuries, we will see if something is going to happen [in the transfer market].”

And Maresca may view the short winter window as a chance to strengthen in some other areas of his squad, with the 44-year-old eyeing up a possible revamp in midfield.

Cesare Casadei could prove to be the catalyst for such a clearout after it emerged that the west London outfit are reportedly locked in talks with Torino over a permanent deal for their promising midfielder, who turns 22 on Friday.

According to The Mirror, the Serie A outfit have submitted a £10m offer with a sell-on clause included, but they could face competition from Monza and Feyenoord.

Casadei was one of the first signings of the Todd Boehly era after arriving from Inter Milan for £15m in 2022. However, he has been limited to just six appearances this season – five of which have come in the UEFA Conference League.

The youngster is keen to get some first-team action to avoid his career stagnating and, while are willing to sanction his exit, they want a buy-back clause inserted into the deal for the Italy Under-21 international.

Casadei might not be the only player to leave this winter, with Carney Chukwuemeka and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall also expected to depart after struggling for game time under Maresca.

Chukwuemeka has a £40m release clause written into his contract and the Blues are adamant they will not accept a cut-price fee to let the ex-Aston Villa man leave.

Dewsbury-Hall could be allowed to leave on loan, although would prefer a permanent sale for a player who cost them £30m from Leicester seven months ago.

West Ham are keen on the attacking midfield duo but are only likely to sign one, while Dewsbury-Hall has attracted interest from and . In the event they receive the total £80m demanded for all three players, Maresca may get the green light to bring in another midfielder.

have been linked with a £52m approach for Atletico Madrid starlet Pablo Barrios and retain an interest in Benfica wonderkid Rafael Luis, 19.

There are legitimate concerns over Romeo Lavia’s injury record after making just 11 appearances since his high-profile move from Southampton last summer. Andrey Santos is impressing but remains on loan at Strasbourg, while the same applies to Lesley Ugochukwu at Southampton.

And that could convince to spend big again in January, having done so in the past to bring in stars such as Enzo Fernandez and Mykhaylo Mudryk.