Transfer: Chelsea to offload 16 players as FIFA bans bomb squads

Chelsea are in a race against time to trim their big squad ahead of the summer transfer window deadline.

The Blues must offload 16 players in 25 days.

Xabi Alonso currently has 41 senior players in his squad and must clear out most of them.

Alonso is expected to go into his first season at Stamford Bridge with 25 players.

Also, because unlike in the past, FIFA has now banned the ‘bomb squad’ at clubs.

When teams failed to move players on, they always froze them out and made them train with the U-23 squads.

However, the ban means that Chelsea would have to find a way to offload the players they won’t need for the new season, either on loan or permanent deals.