Premier League Star Trends On Twitter As Chelsea Can't Activate Release Clause
Sanctions against Roman Abramovich could mean Chelsea can't buy anyone this summer - even former players
With Chelsea currently banned from buying players or renewing contracts due to sanctions against owner Roman Abramovich, some fans on social media have pointed out which players The Blues could miss out on signing as a result.
Imposed by the UK government, the sanctions, aimed at punishing Russian oligarchs with close ties to President Vladimir Putin, are set to have a huge impact on Chelsea.
The club is currently unable to sign players, spend over £50,000 on away trip travel, over £500,000 on hosting home games - while the sale of the club will also have to be approved by the government first.
With this in mind, thoughts have already turned to how Chelsea's fortunes on the pitch will be transformed, and how the club will manage if it is forced to sell star players.
One player who was being tipped to return to Chelsea this summer was Right-back, Tino Livramento. The 19-year-old, currently playing for Southampton, previously graduated through Chelsea's lauded youth academy, before joining The Saints in a bid to play first-team football.
He has certainly accomplished that on the South-coast, going on to play 21 times this season, and becoming a key member of Ralph Hasenhuttl's squad in the process.
Given his sky-high potential, murmurs of a Chelsea return soon started to spread, but as some fans of rival clubs excitedly pointed out on Twitter, it seems as if the West London club can no longer activate a buyback clause in Livramento's Southampton contract.
If the sanctions against Abramovich are extended well into the summer (they are set to be reviewed in May) that could present the likes of Arsenal and Spurs with an opportunity to skip to queue, and sign the England U21 international.
In fact, the young defender was mentioned so much by rival fans on Thursday afternoon that his name started to trend in the UK - as you can see below.
For some Chelsea supporters, meanwhile, the reality was setting in that this summer could be a lot quieter than many were perhaps expecting.
In addition, with Cesar Azpilicueta rumoured to be considering a move to Barcelona, the need for Chelsea to sign a backup Wing-back becomes even more pronounced. A transfer ban would see Chelsea miss out on Livramento, as well as another former Blue in Brighton's Tariq Lamptey.
Topics: Chelsea FC, Chelsea fans, Southampton, Premier League, Tino Livramento, Roman Abramovich, Twitter
Tom Fenton