Chelsea quartet could be banned from Champions League as UEFA 'set £90m target'

Chelsea risk not being able to register Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and their other summer signings for the Champions League after being handed a brutal punishment by UEFA. European football's governing body has agreed a conditional punishment with the Blues that will impact their return to the elite continental club competition next season.

As part of punishments handed to Chelsea, Aston Villa and several other clubs set to compete in Europe next season, the west Londoners will pay an unconditional fine of £27million. The penalty relates to breaches of UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules. A further £52m could be owed if Chelsea do not meet certain financial targets. Further disciplinary action may follow.

UEFA say that Chelsea will not be allowed to register any new players on their List A for the Champions League unless their transfer balance is positive. List A is the main squad list, with a maximum of 25 players, while List B is for younger players who meet specific criteria.

Remarkably, that may rule Delap, Pedro, Dario Essugo and Mamadou Sarr out of playing in the Champions League next season. All four are new signings at Stamford Bridge in a summer window that has already cost Chelsea close to £110m.

Defender Bashir Humphreys and goalkeepers Kepa Arrizabalaga and Marcus Bettinelli have all departed for a combined sum of around £20m. That means Chelsea could need to recoup at least £90m to be certain of registering their summer signings.

Several stars have been linked with departures from Chelsea, and they still have plenty of time before UEFA's tough sanctions take effect. Arsenal have been linked with winger Noni Madueke, while goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic is a £25m target for Sunderland and Galatasaray.

Raheem Sterling will almost certainly be told to find a new club after returning from Arsenal. Trevoh Chalobah, who found himself banished from the senior squad last summer before he was called back from his loan at Crystal Palace in January, is widely reported to be attracting transfer interest.

Joao Felix, Renato Veiga and Axel Disasi could all be sold permanently after return from respective loan spells. Forward Christopher Nkunku also faces an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge following the signing of Liam Delap. It remains to be seen whether Chelsea can make a profit on transfers and register their new signings for Europe.