Chelsea FC is putting at least five centre-backs on the transfer market ahead of the 2026-27 season, with Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi headlining the clearance sale.

New manager Xabi Alonso wants a leaner defensive unit, reportedly preferring just four to five centre-backs rather than the bloated contingent Chelsea has been carrying. The club is reportedly targeting around £90 million in combined revenue from sales of Disasi, Badiashile, and Trevoh Chalobah.

The football economics behind the firesale

Badiashile arrived from Monaco in 2023 for £35 million. He’s now reportedly the subject of a loan-to-buy offer from Napoli in Serie A.

Disasi and Chalobah round out the trio of high-profile departures, though the club intends to move at least two more centre-backs beyond those three. Alonso’s stated preference is for a compact squad of four to five centre-backs to foster cohesion and clearer roles.

The £90 million target is ambitious but not unreachable. Badiashile’s original £35 million price tag suggests the club is hoping to recoup a meaningful chunk of its initial investment across these deals.

Where the fan token fits in

Chelsea operates a fan token, CFCT, on the Socios.com platform. Fan tokens are a niche corner of the crypto ecosystem where holders get voting rights on minor club decisions and access to engagement perks.

Chelsea also has a sponsorship deal with BingX, the crypto exchange. That partnership keeps the club loosely tethered to the digital asset space, though it is a commercial arrangement rather than anything that directly ties transfer decisions to token economics.

If Disasi fetches a strong fee and Badiashile’s Napoli move materializes on favorable terms, expect modest positive sentiment around the club’s financial health. If the sales drag into the final weeks of the transfer window at discounted prices, that’s a different story entirely.