Chelsea

UK ministers close to signing off on deal that ensures no benefit to oligarch but green light still needed from Brussels and Lisbon.

Government have received legal guarantees that Roman Abramovich will not benefit from the £4.25bn sale of Chelsea; money will be held in a frozen bank ...

It is expected the deal will be signed off on Tuesday. They have now received legal guarantees that Roman Abramovich will not benefit from the sale of Chelsea meaning that they can approve the £4.25bn deal. Government have received legal guarantees that Roman Abramovich will not benefit from the £4.25bn sale of Chelsea; money will be held in a frozen bank account; deal will bring Abramovich's 19-year ownership of Chelsea to an end

There will be very little rest for Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel this summer as he oversees a rebuild of his first-team squad.

We then have to be fast to adapt to the qualities and the personalities of the new guys. But first of all, we need to be able to sign players, be smart about who we sign, and be on point." We have to convince the player, speak to their clubs, and convince ourselves this is the player [we need]. So there is normally a lot of work, and it will be the same to be competitive next season." In midfield, decisions have to be taken over the futures of Jorginho and N'Golo Kante, both of whom have just 12 months remaining on their contracts. "We have to be fast and smart," the Chelsea head coach said. Even if the Chelsea head coach is able to get away with his family, there will be countless calls to take, meetings to sit through, and big decisions to be made.

UK government optimistic Abramovich's £1.6bn loan to club will not go to the Russian.

Chelsea will be under pressure to strengthen their defence as Antonio Rüdiger has signed for Real Madrid and Andreas Christensen is joining Barcelona, who also want Marcos Alonso and Cesár Azpilicueta. – Guardian Chelsea, whose special operating licence expires on May 31st, need government approval for the sale to go through. Chelsea, whose prospective new owners were on the pitch after last Sunday’s win over Watford, have been in limbo since Abramovich was sanctioned.

The prize money fee that the Chelsea squad have received has been revealed after Thomas Tuchel's men finished third in the Premier League.

We always try to adapt and find solutions." I don’t judge it as if it's more demanding. "This is a pure pleasure to be in the middle of it and still have the chance to guide the team and to be a part of it.

Thomas Tuchel has admitted the likes of Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso now face a “strange” limbo at Chelsea.

It’s no problem to adapt and find solutions, but the problem is we are forced to be passive and it’s what we don’t like and we are not used to it. “It’s not the plan to change it, but maybe we are forced to. “But we are looking in every direction. “And you could feel it. “There were some reasons to play this structure in the way we played it and we were very successful and at a high level very stable. “If we are able to sell, do we want to sell, do we have a chance to get alternatives?

Chelsea's squad have had mixed fortunes under Thomas Tuchel this campaign which came to a close on Sunday against Watford.

The winger finally got a run in his favoured role on the left of Chelsea's attack during the strongest run of the season. But given murmurs of his discontent, have we seen the last of Captain America in a Chelsea shirt? One of many names that justify a rebuild of the squad. But a mixture of fatigue and limitations that have always been in his game has further highlighted why the centre of midfield needs a revamp. Lukaku ironically still ends as Chelsea's top scorer in all competitions, but based on the hopes of his arrival, there's no hiding from the fact this season has been a letdown for the Belgian. This has been his strongest season in Blue that has unfortunately been disrupted by injury, but he should go into the summer feeling confident. A deadline day move that was supposed to offer a fresh midfield option for Tuchel, the loan from Atletico Madrid has been a failure. The commitment and integrity of Azpilicueta has never, and will never, be in question. But the Arsenal display in particular and poor ones since have highlighted a player who looks severely out of his depth. Tuchel has stressed how vital the French midfielder still is, but his growing fitness issues and lack of availability feel too extensive to pass off as bad luck anymore. Particularly based on his individual impact during the best run of the season in October and November, Chilwell's injury majorly hurt the team's rhythm. If you were to ask around to name the contenders for player of the season, only a handful of names could legitimately spring up.

The likes of Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and several others are all set to leave Chelsea this summer, leaving the Blues with gaps to fill especially in ...

It's no problem to adapt and find solutions, but the problem is we are forced to be passive and it's what we don't like and we are not used to it. I think the structure suits our players very well with the players you mentioned, but also with Thiago Silva, our midfielders, Reece James and Ben Chilwell because they have more freedom to attack on both sides. It's not the plan to change it but maybe we are forced to.

Antonio Rudiger played his last match for Chelsea on Sunday afternoon as the Blues beat Watford 2-1, and Mason Mount has now paid tribute to the defender.

"I like to trust the process, and with this coach, you can see there is a process. In an interview with The Times last week, Rudiger sent the club's hierarchy a warning about their usual lack of patience when it comes to coaches. A pleasure to play with him over the last couple of years, I've learned a lot from him.