Chukwuemeka, Anselmino Join Dortmund As Chelsea Hit £270m In Sales

Chelsea have given permission to Borussia Dortmund to fly Carney Chukwuemeka and Aaron Anselmino to Germany to complete moves that will take player sales at Stamford Bridge this summer to beyond £270m.

Chukwuemeka, 21, spent the second half of last season on loan at Dortmund and is set to sign on a permanent basis for a fee rising to about £24m, with a significant sell-on clause included.

The England Under-20 international was keen to move back to the Westfalenstadion despite interest from RB Leizpig and is in the process of finalising his return.

That deal would take Chelsea’s income from player sales this summer to a league-high £273.4m, which almost balances out the £277m spent on incoming transfers.

Uefa have told Chelsea they must record a positive transfer balance this window in order to be allowed to register their new signings for this season’s Champions League.

It follows them having been fined £26.7m for a breach of Uefa’s football earning rules and having had a squad cost ratio – the proportion of their income paid out in wages – above 80%.

Meanwhile, Anselmino has agreed to join Dortmund on a season-long loan deal without any option to buy clauses included.

The Argentine defender was told by manager Enzo Maresca that he needed a loan move to play the minutes he needs to develop amid competition for places in the Chelsea first-team squad.

But he remains an important part of future planning at Stamford Bridge, and moves to Dortmund to cover the recent injuries of defenders Niklas Sule, Emre Can and Nico Schlotterbeck.

Chukwuemeka has played 32 matches for Chelsea since joining in a £20m move from Aston Villa in 2022, while Anselmino made a single substitute appearance at the Club World Cup having joined the west Londoners from Boca Juniors in January for £15.6m.

Chelsea hope to sign to more players in the nine days remaining in the window, with Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho and RB Leipzig midfielder Xavi Simons targeted.

Forwards Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku and Tyrique George are expected to leave, while Chelsea could sell as many as nine players, including in the so-called ‘bomb squad’, with the Blues looking at options for Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, Axel Disasi amongst others.

BBC.com