Four Chelsea stars who could cause Thomas Tuchel transfer headache very soon

Chelsea are facing a big problem this season as they look set to lose four important players next summer. Thomas Tuchel cannot afford to see his squad be rid of the quartet, who are all pivotal to his system.

Chelsea could lose four players next summer for nothing when their contracts expire.

It comes as Tuchel looks to bolster his squad this transfer window despite the impending scenario that will leave him without some key players.

The Blues had been relatively quiet in the summer prior to the arrival of Romelu Lukaku, who joins from Inter Milan for a club-record £97m.

The attack was an area that Tuchel was desperate to bolster having seen his side miss a host of chances during his short time in charge.

In Lukaku, they finally have a striker that can provide some clinical finishing but it is Chelsea’s defence that are now in danger.

That is because Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva and Andreas Christensen are all entering the final year of their contracts.

All four are integral to Chelsea’s defence and would give Tuchel a major headache if they all left for nothing.

Azpilicueta is the club captain and is still just 31 and while the Stamford Bridge outfit are usually reluctant to hand new deals to over-30s, the Spaniard has done more than enough for the Blues to warrant an offer.

The club knew they would likely see the back of Silva next summer, who signed a one-year extension this summer.

Christensen, 25, came up through the academy at Chelsea but has had a bit of a rollercoaster of a career so far but under Tuchel, there are clear signs that the Denmark international is being tipped to succeed Silva as the middle centre-back in a back-three.

While Rudiger was brought back into the fold by Tuchel after being ostracised by Frank Lampard but the Germany international is ready to hold off signing a new deal to see what his options are like.

Losing one or two is likely the best-case scenario for the Blues while there is a chance that Chelsea will need to completely revamp their defence if there is an exodus.

What will sting further is the fact that all four could depart for nothing when the club pride themselves on being able to top off transfer fees and Tuchel must find a solution soon or face a major problem in a key area.