Chelsea: The first three stars set to leave when Pochettino takes over

Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic and Hakim Ziyech are set to become the first wave of Chelsea stars to leave the club when Mauricio Pochettino takes charge this summer, sources have told Football Insider.

It is believed that the Blues will have a big turnaround of players in the off-season as they vie to balance the books and trim the squad.

Chelsea will also be open to offers for many other first-team stars as they line up summer business of their own.

A well-placed source has told Football Insider that the Stamford Bridge club want to add a goalkeeper, central midfielder and striker – but players will have to leave to make that possible.

Chelsea spent a reported outlay of more than £530million on new signings in the 2022-23 campaign and now have a bloated squad as a result.

Their transfer spend has not translated into on-pitch success, with the Blues sitting 11th in the table despite sacking both Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter this season.

Pochettino is expected to be named as Potter’s successor in the coming days.

Football Insider revealed on Monday (15 May) that the incoming boss is set to sit down for showdown talks with Mount – but will have no influence on the financial offer made to him.

Mount has rejected a number of contract proposals with his current deal set to expire in June 2024 – putting the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Bayern Munich on high alert.

Meanwhile, Kovacic is wanted by Man City, Man United and Bayern with his Chelsea terms sheet also set to expire at the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

Football Insider revealed last week (11 May) that the Blues will demand between £30-40million for the Croatia international in the summer window.

Ziyech is also set to end his three-year association with Chelsea in the coming months – with a January move to Paris Saint-Germain falling through at the eleventh hour.

In other news, Chelsea hold internal review as £177million-plus target revealed.