Mauricio Pochettino has an early headache as Chelsea manager with Kalidou Koulibaly reluctant to leave the club.

Much was expected of the veteran former Napoli centre-back when he made the decision last summer as he was due to replace Antonio Rudiger.

Koulibaly had a difficult start to the Premier League and struggled to recover after being sent off in his third appearance against Leeds United.

With Thiago Silva increasingly likely to stay and Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile as long-term investments, Koulibaly’s first-team chances next season are likely to be scarce.

According to The Evening Standard, Koulibaly is among a group of veteran players who want Chelsea to continue, but it won’t be an easy task.

The Senegal international’s £200,000-a-week salary will be a significant obstacle as the 31-year-old is eager to stay at Chelsea and prove his worth.

Last week she spoke about his future, saying: “It’s true, it’s been a difficult season,” he said. “For me it was a very difficult welcome because coming to the Premier League and having a season like this wasn’t what I thought about, but football is like this, life is like this.

You have to learn from every moment of this season not to do it again next season. For me it was a good season to understand Premier League football, it was a great opportunity for me. “I’m learning a lot about myself, I’m learning a lot about the club and Premier League football, so it will be good for the future.

“I hope next year we will see a better version of Chelsea and a better version of me to help the team and win something next year.”

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Erik ten Hag suggests the beginning of Mauricio Pochettino’s summer exodus in a £15 million agreement with Chelsea.

Chelsea scouting reports: When Mauricio Pochettino becomes manager of Chelsea this summer, he’s anticipated to sanction large-scale departures.

For Mauricio Pochettino, sanctioning exits from Stamford Bridge appears to be more crucial this summer than any other Chelsea aim. That’s because the Blues already have a very overstuffed roster, which will only get worse once numerous stars return from loan stints away from west London and two new signings have already been confirmed.

Before any sales are announced, there will be 35 players competing for a spot in Chelsea’s first team, with loans included. Currently, there are 27 players who are thought to be a part of Chelsea’s senior squad, and eight more stars are expected to return from loan stays.

Malo Gusto and Christopher Nkunku will cover those two open spots in the squad if Denis Zakaria and Joao Felix do not return to their parent clubs, while there is still chance that Felix can secure a permanent return. Pochettino, to put it mildly, has a very difficult task on his shoulders to approve exits and to do it promptly in order to satisfy an FFP deadline on June 30.

Mason Mount and Ruben Loftus-Cheek appear to be the two most likely to leave the club before the summer transfer window opens, with the latter in active discussions to follow in the footsteps of Fikayo Tomori. The team attempting to sign Loftus-Cheek with football is AC Milan.London reported in April that Chelsea had spoken to the Italian team about a potential summer transfer.

Now, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, talks between the two parties are going well, and Loftus-Cheek is also eager to depart. While Mount appears to be leaving his childhood club, the Athletic reports that he would like to join Manchester United over Liverpool, Arsenal, or Arsenal.

The first Chelsea player to leave this summer might instead be Hakim Ziyech. The Moroccan international believed a loan transfer to Paris Saint-Germain had been finalized in January but later learned it had fallen through at the last minute.

Ziyech has struggled to play since that event, but against Manchester United, Frank Lampard gave him an eight-minute cameo off the bench. Ziyech was seen conversing with United manager Erik ten Hag after the team’s 4-1 loss. The two were acquainted thanks to their previous stints at Ajax.

Ten Hag remained tight-lipped when questioned about the specifics of their chat but did offer a significant indication regarding Ziyech’s future at Chelsea. Ten Hag stated, “That’s between Hakim and me,” as reported by Mail Sport. Together, we have gone through a lot of wonderful experiences.

There is a bond for life, he continued. He has to participate each week. A player in that prime, a footballer, must be on the field.

Although United has previously expressed interest in Ziyech, who is valued at £15.6 million on transfermarkt, a move to Old Trafford in the upcoming transfer window is doubtful. Ziyech is expected to be one of many Chelsea talents up for sale this summer.