UK Sanctions: Chelsea Set To Lose Five Players Including Antonio Rudiger(See Full List Here)

A number of key first-team players are set to depart Chelsea this summer after owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK Government on Thursday morning, a decision which has thrown the London club into turmoil.

Included are club captain Cesar Azpilicueta and key central defenders Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, whose contracts are set to expire this summer.

Abramovich was one of seven oligarchs to be hit with an asset freeze, not only making his plan to sell the club impossible but also having significant ramifications on the side’s day-to-day functions.

Chelsea’s status as a ‘significant cultural asset’ has seen the club granted a special licence to continue playing, with their Premier League clash against Norwich on Thursday night going ahead as planned.

Abramovich will be deprived of any profits, however, with the club also banned from selling match tickets or signing new players moving forward.

Crucially, they won’t be able to tie any of their players down to new contracts, though they will continue to be paid in full, alongside all staff members at the club.

UK Sanctions: Chelsea Set To Lose Five Players Including Antonio Rudiger(See Full List Here)

It means 25-year-old midfielder Charly Musonda Jr will depart when his contract expires this summer, alongside loanee Saul Niguez, as Chelsea will be unable to activate the existing option to buy for the Atletico Madrid star.

More of a concern for manager Thomas Tuchel is the futures of Azpilicueta, Rudiger and Christensen, all of whom had been heavily linked with exits prior to the sanction.

Rudiger, 29, has been linked with Manchester United, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle of late, despite previously refusing to rule out the possibility he could extend his contract.

Recall that Abramovich’s sanction was announced on Thursday morning. Speaking about the decision, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: ‘There can be no safe havens for those who have supported Putin’s vicious assault on Ukraine.

‘Today’s sanctions are the latest step in the UK’s unwavering support for the Ukrainian people. We will be ruthless in pursuing those who enable the killing of civilians, destruction of hospitals and illegal occupation of sovereign allies.’

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss added: ‘Today’s sanctions show once again that oligarchs and kleptocrats have no place in our economy or society. With their close links to Putin they are complicit in his aggression.

‘The blood of the Ukrainian people is on their hands. They should hang their heads in shame. Our support for Ukraine will not waver. We will not stop in this mission to ramp up the pressure on the Putin regime and choke off funds to his brutal war machine.’

Extra measures have been taken to ensure Abramovich cannot profit from Chelsea’s activities in the Premier League.

The club will be allowed finish their season as planned but only ‘existing ticket holders’ – including fans with season tickets – will be allowed to attend games.

Speaking about the decision, Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said: ‘Today’s sanctions obviously have a direct impact on Chelsea and its fans.

‘We have been working hard to ensure the club and the national game are not unnecessarily harmed by these important sanctions.

‘To ensure the club can continue to compete and operate we are issuing a special licence that will allow fixtures to be fulfilled, staff to be paid and existing ticket holders to attend matches while, crucially, depriving Abramovich of benefiting from his ownership of the club.

The sanctions will come into place before Abramovich is able to sell Chelsea as he planned

‘I know this brings some uncertainty, but the government will work with the league and clubs to keep football being played while ensuring sanctions hit those intended. Football clubs are cultural assets and the bedrock of our communities. We’re committed to protecting them.’

The decision to sanction Abramovich and the six other oligarchs came after Defence minister James Heappey referred to the bombing of a maternity hospital in Ukraine was a war crime.