Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca confirmed that he "for sure" wants to sign a new winger this summer, having paid £5million to terminate a clause that would have seen the club buy Jadon Sancho after his loan from Manchester United. Sancho's stint with the Blues was marred by mixed form during the 2024-25 season, drawing frustration from supporters.
He hit the back of the net five times, his last goal sealing victory in the UEFA Conference League final against Real Betis, yet he had just four assists—figures that left the Chelsea hierarchy underwhelmed. With United gaffer Ruben Amorim ruling out a spot for Sancho in his upcoming squad, the forward's prospects remain unclear.
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Desperate for alternatives in the wing to compete with Noni Madueke, Pedro Neto, and Tyrique George, Chelsea are in search of a new signing to help Maresca moving forward.
In the build-up to their Club World Cup curtain-raiser against LAFC on Monday, Maresca said: "Jadon is not with us, so for sure that is a position that probably we need to do something.
"Also, because as you already know, Misha [Mykhaylo Mudryk] is not with us. So in this moment we have Noni, Pedro and Ty as proper wingers.
"So, for sure, something is going to happen. We said many times, when the transfer window is open, anything can happen - to bring players or to sell players. We will see."
Chelsea have snapped up Ipswich striker Liam Delap for a cool £30m, but their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Gittens hit a snag after a hefty £42m offer was knocked back last week, thwarting their plans to showcase him before the Club World Cup in the USA.
The Stamford Bridge outfit is now left pondering whether to table another bid for out-of-favour Gittens, who has only started nine matches since Niko Kovac took the reins in early February.
In another transfer setback, Chelsea's attempt to secure AC Milan's shot-stopper Mike Maignan fell through when their £15m bid failed to meet the Italian club's £21m valuation.
Addressing the goalkeeping conundrum, Maresca clarified: "The keeper situation is simple, Robert [Sanchez] is No.1, Filip [Jorgensen] is No.2, and we will analyse and judge [Mike] Penders. Maignan and different players at other clubs - I don't think it is worth talking about them."