Chelsea may be forced into three sales if they win Carabao Cup amid rule change

Chelsea may be forced to sell three players if they win the Carabao Cup.

The Blues take on Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on Sunday, with Mauricio Pochettino’s side hoping to lift their fifth-ever Carabao Cup and first since 2015.

But no team has won the competition more than Liverpool, who are looking to claim a record-extending tenth triumph.

Should Chelsea win it would be a much-needed piece of silverware for Pochettino and the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital ownership after over £1billion spent on new players since a May 2022 takeover.

However, it could also paradoxically lead them to sell three players.

Should Chelsea win on Sunday they will qualify for next season’s Europa Conference League, and in turn, have to comply with UEFA’s club licensing and financial sustainability regulations, the rules that replaced FFP in 2022.

UEFA’s regulations are considerably more restrictive than the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules. Indeed, in Europe clubs are only permitted to lose up to £68.5million for the 2024-25 monitoring period, which encompasses the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.

Gallagher is among those that could be sold by Chelsea (Getty)

That means that should they qualify for European competition, losses of £68.5million over the previous two years, rather than £105million over the previous three years, would become the loss threshold for Chelsea next term.

Such restrictions may force them into the sale of three academy graduates to generate pure profit.

The Athletic claimed that Chelsea were to drum up a market for Armando Broja in January and that they may be open to his permanent departure in the summer.

Meanwhile, Ian Maatsen, who has a £35million release clause in his new contract, may also be sold in the summer, while Conor Gallagher could depart at the end of the season, should he fail to agree to a new deal.