Joe Cole thinks Xabi Alonso will be forced into selling one of Chelsea’s best players

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Without Champions League football, Chelsea are going to take a financial hit, and without European football at all – which remains a solid possibility – it is quite clear the Blues will need to balance the books.

That is according to Joe Cole, who feels that if Chelsea are going to be able to spend money and bring in some new players for Alonso come the summer, then they will have to cash in on a prized asset.

Joe Cole predicts major Chelsea sale, one of four players

Speaking on The Dressing Room podcast, Chelsea icon Cole told Wayne Bridge and Carlton Cole that he reckons the Blues will have to make one big sale in the coming months and named four candidates.

The former England winger thinks BlueCo will have to reluctantly accept an offer for one of Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez or Joao Pedro – who has been left out of Brazil’s World Cup squad.

“They’re going to have to sell if they don’t get Champions League football. Everything will be set up, in this five-year plan – by year four, they will have expected to be in the Champions League unless they have a magic wand whereby next year they’ll win it all.

“There will have to be some buying and selling. The noise coming out of BlueCo is that they will tweak it around. For me, that means they’ll have to sell one of Palmer, Enzo Fernandez, Joao Pedro, or Caicedo.”

Which one is the likeliest to be sold in the summer?

Of the four, there is no doubt that at their best, Palmer is the best. But the England star has been far from his best this season. Chelsea want £150m for Palmer if they are to sell, and no one will pay that right now.

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Caicedo is a top midfielder, even earning praise from Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi ahead of tonight. But Caicedo has made it clear he intends to remain at Chelsea and has since signed a new Blues contract.

That leaves Fernandez and Pedro. Barcelona have been watching Pedro and could well make a move for the Chelsea striker, but Alonso will be desperate to avoid losing Chelsea’s Player of the Season.

Reports also say Alonso has made it clear he does not want Fernandez sold. But of the four candidates, there is no doubt that Fernandez is the likeliest to be sold this summer, with Man City very interested.