Jamie Gittens & two others Chelsea players could be banned from playing Champions League (SEE WHY)
According to latest report, Chelsea may be prevented from registering new summer signings Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and others for next season’s Champions League campaign due to UEFA financial restrictions, according to The Sun.
Despite already spending over £160 million in the transfer window—bringing in Delap from Ipswich for £30 million, Pedro from Brighton for £60 million, Brazilian prodigy Willian Estevao, and Bynoe-Gittens from Borussia Dortmund for £52 million—the Blues are facing stiff limitations imposed by UEFA after breaching financial fair play rules.
UEFA fined Chelsea £27 million last week, with a further £52 million penalty hanging in the balance, and also issued a key restriction as part of the punishment. The club is not allowed to register players on their 25-man A list for UEFA competitions unless the annual cost of those players is offset by savings from current members of that list. The cost includes both wages and amortised transfer fees over a five-year period, as mandated by UEFA rules.
For instance, Delap’s £30 million transfer on a six-year deal equates to £6 million per year in amortisation. When combined with a reported £100,000-per-week salary (£5.2 million per year), Delap’s total annual cost for UEFA registration hits £11.2 million. To simply register him alone, Chelsea must offload players to save or earn more than £11.2 million from their current European squad list.
This has placed several players at risk of being sold, most notably homegrown defender Trevoh Chalobah. The academy graduate has zero book value, meaning any transfer fee received would count as pure profit under UEFA rules. A £40 million sale of Chalobah, for example, would generate maximum accounting benefit—mirroring the deals that saw academy products Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher leave in the last two windows.
Even so, Chalobah’s sale alone would not be enough to fund all the new arrivals. With Chelsea eyeing Champions League success under Enzo Maresca, further outgoings are likely. The Blues are also believed to be open to selling winger Noni Madueke, who has reportedly agreed personal terms with Arsenal.
With more incomings expected before the transfer window closes, Chelsea’s ability to juggle UEFA’s squad cost control rules while staying competitive in Europe will come under major scrutiny. The message from UEFA is clear: unless Chelsea balance the books, they risk being unable to register some of their marquee signings for Europe’s elite competition.