Chelsea’s wage cost has been reduced by £23 million after two transfer agreements are finally approved.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca may soon have a lot freed up from the club’s annual wage cost.

Chelsea is preparing to reduce its wage bill by a substantial amount this summer, which could result in the abolition of two of its more disappointing expenditures.

Romelu Lukaku and Malang Sarr could shortly serve Chelsea’s summer transfer window by departing the club.

If the two players are successfully sold, the Blues are on the brink of reducing their wage bill by slightly more than £23 million. And that seems to be a formality as Lukaku and Sarr approach their respective transfers to Napoli and Lens.

It was suggested that Lukaku, who is under contract with Chelsea until 2026 but has not played for the club since May 2022, may be granted a reprieve under the new manager, Enzo Maresca. After the player reportedly reached an agreement with Napoli regarding personal circumstances, it seems that a return to Serie A is the most probable outcome.

According to Di Marzio, the Belgian has authorised a three-year contract in Naples that is valued at £5 million annually. This is in stark contrast to the £16.9m he has been earning annually since re-signing for Chelsea in 2021, despite the fact that he has spent the majority of his second tenure on loan.

The same is true for Sarr, a former France under-21 international, who has reportedly had his contract terminated 12 months early. Chelsea was extremely eager to eliminate his £120,000-per-week expenditure, which was accumulating a total of £6.2 million annually.

Sarr, 25, was a highly anticipated prospect upon his arrival at Stamford Bridge from Nice in the summer of 2020. Despite the fact that the Blues prevailed over formidable competition to acquire the defender, the outcome of that investment has been nothing short of catastrophic.

Sarr spent the entire campaign exercising with the club’s under-21s, despite earning more than the likes of Thiago Silva, Cole Palmer, and Conor Gallagher last season. Nevertheless, L’Equipe has reported that he is scheduled to undergo a medical examination with Lens prior to signing a free agent contract.

Sarr will depart west London after having made only 21 appearances during his four-year tenure at Chelsea. He made 36 appearances while on loan at Porto (19) and Monaco (17) during that period, and he is now returning to his native France with one of the ascending forces

Lukaku’s departure is slightly more complex due to the fact that Chelsea and Napoli have not yet reached an agreement regarding his transfer fee. It is believed that the Blues have a £38 million release clause in the 31-year-old’s contract, but they are prepared to sell him for £29.5 million.

Napoli, which is currently under new management following Antonio Conte’s appointment this summer, is believed to consider even that fee to be prohibitive. Lukaku previously trained under the Italian while on loan at Inter Milan, where they jointly captured the Serie A championship in 2021.

It is anticipated that Victor Osimhen will depart the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona this summer, potentially for Chelsea. This would provide Napoli with the necessary funds to acquire Lukaku. In any event, it appears that the player’s departure from Chelsea (again) is more a matter of when than if.

Maresca has already signed several players this summer; however, the club is still in search of a player with a genuine pedigree. That being said, the departures of Lukaku and Sarr, in particular, could significantly accelerate that type of business.