The wage cost of Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is going to be reduced, which could signal the beginning of yet another significant shake-up at the club.

It has been claimed that the ownership group of the club is seeking to cut the budget by up to £80 million, which may result in the sale of numerous players. In spite of recent investments, such as a cash injection from the United States alternative asset management firm Ares, Blues leaders are considering making severe budget reductions.

Clearlake, which is one of the co-owners of Chelsea, is taking the initiative to implement the cost-cutting initiatives. The overall budget is expected to be reduced by £80 million as part of this plan, and up to 13 senior members of Pochettino’s squad may be moved on.

At the IPEM private equity conference, Clearlake co-founder Jose Feliciano provided an overview of the subsequent phases that the ownership group’s journey toward Chelsea will entail. Feliciano was quoted as saying, “In the end, we are extremely aligned with that supporter and fan base because the best way to make our club more valuable is to win.”

“This was the first year for the team, and it was also our first year. We have an incredible amount of skill in this organization.” He continued by saying, “I think what we are trying to do is reduce the salary and, essentially, the opex [operating expenses] of the business by over $100m (£80.6m) per year.”

According to the Express, although not all of the 80 million pounds in savings would come from reductions in player compensation, a sizeable chunk is anticipated to be eliminated. This might require selling anywhere from five to ten players and generating savings of approximately forty million pounds.

Romelu Lukaku, who has already accepted a wage cut and is currently on loan at Roma, is one player who could be on his way out. Lukaku is currently playing for Roma. Marc Cucurella is yet another player whose foreseeable future at Stamford Bridge is cloudy.

In spite of the fact that Cucurella’s loan move to Manchester United during the late summer did not go through, the fact that he makes £9.1 million per year could make him a possibility for leaving when the transfer market for January opens. As a result of the preference given to Ben Chilwell and Levi Colwill at left back, Cucurella’s chances of seeing regular playing time have been reduced even further.

It’s possible that center backs Malang Sarr and Trevoh Chalobah, who make a combined $8.8 million per year, will be let go in January as well. Despite the fact that both of these defenders have a lot of potential, neither has played for the Blues this season, thus the club may decide to get go of them in order to free up some resources.

Another player that Chelsea would like to get go of permanently is Hakim Ziyech, who is presently playing for Galatasaray on loan from Chelsea. Despite the fact that a deal to Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr was unable to go through because of ιnjury concerns uncovered in his medical, the club is still anxiоus to get rid of his £5.2 million salary from the books.