Former Chelsea defender, Mario Melchiot has said Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois and Willian want to leave the club because they are not surrounded by top quality players.
The Blues will play in the Europa League this season, after a miserable defence of their Premier League title, which saw an Antonio Conte-led side finish fifth.
Maurizio Sarri has been appointed to replace Conte and has brought Jorginho from Napoli with him, but speculation continues to link their top players with Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Melchiot spoke with talkSPORT on the transfer challenges facing Chelsea.
“That’s the problem – those guys want to play in the Champions League.
“They want to play in a team that has enough quality to compete to win the Champions League and Premier League titles.
“Clubs like Madrid or Barcelona, they don’t have that problem.
“And as a player, if you’re at a club like Chelsea and you’re playing at the top of the league, you don’t have to worry about it either.
“But when you’re not, that’s when you have to consider it [joining another club].
“By the end of your career you want to win as many trophies as you can and you do whatever it takes to get there.
“Of course you love the club you’re at, but you also have to understand that as a professional football player you are judged by the number of trophies you have in your cabinet.
“When you’re at a top team and you can deliver that, you don’t have to consider other teams, but when the likes of Madrid and Barcelona come they guarantee you play at that level, so it’s almost impossible not to consider it, especially when you are going through a difficult time with the team you’re at now,” he said.
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