Christian Pulisic has joined the growing number of players to leave Chelsea this summer after completing a move to AC Milan.

The 24-year-old midfielder has signed a contract with the Serie A giants until June 30 2027, with an option to extend for a further year.

Pulisic spent four years at Stamford Bridge after joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2019, making 145 appearances and scoring 26 goals for the Blues.

One of those goals was in the 2021 Champions League semi-finals against Real Madrid, which helped Chelsea into the final where they beat Manchester City.

The United States international also won the European Super Cup and Club World Cup with Chelsea the following season.

Pulisic, who has made 60 appearances for his country and helped them reach the knockout stages of last year’s World Cup, will link back up with former Chelsea team-mate Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who joined Milan last month.

They are among a host of senior players to leave Stamford Bridge this summer as the club rebuilds under new boss Mauricio Pochettino, with the likes of Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Cesar Azpilicueta, Mateo Kovacic and Kalidou Koulibaly also moving on.

Former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has revealed he wanted to sign Declan Rice, believing the Arsenal-bound midfielder could have been the Blues’ long-term captain.

Former Chelsea academy player Rice, who has since gone on to establish himself as an England regular under Gareth Southgate, captained West Ham to Europa Conference League glory last month ahead of his expected move to north London.

Lampard, who managed Chelsea between 2019 and 2021 before returning for a stint as caretaker boss earlier this year, told the Diary of a CEO podcast: “I wanted to bring in Declan Rice.

“I was like ‘this kid is going to be the captain of Chelsea for the next 10 years’. It didn’t happen, anyway, it is hard to dissect people’s work.”

Lampard returned to the club as interim manager in April after Chelsea sacked Graham Potter but only managed one win in his 10 games in charge as the Blues finished 12th.

Chelsea’s record goalscorer referred to the troubles he experienced with the oversized squad he inherited after the £600million-plus investment from Todd Boehly’s Clearlake Capital consortium since 2022.

Lampard added: “The biggest thing about the low standards was the size of the squad. The motivation was tough with players outside the Champions League squad.

“When I came in, very quickly I noticed that some players were thinking about the season’s going to peter out and what the future’s going to look like and that was a difficult situation.

“When you have international players in a big number then of course you’re telling internationals to stay at home and it’s not easy, and to have the conversation with them every Friday and to get them lined up coming in is also not easy for your own energy.

“I think there’s an understanding at the club that (squad size) has to change now, I think it has to change and if you lack those basics then it’s really hard to get where you want to get to.”

Chelsea have since appointed Mauricio Pochettino as their new manager and have streamlined their bloated squad by selling eight first-team players ahead of their pre-season tour to the United States.

Lampard talked up Mason Mount, who is among those to have left Stamford Bridge this summer, signing for Manchester United earlier this month.

“I think it’s a great signing,” Lampard said.

“So in terms of what he’ll bring to Manchester United, it won’t just be what Mason brings, he will bring loads of talent, but he’s just going to go and (raise) the levels.”

Mauricio Pochettino would not be drawn on whether he would push for Chelsea to reunite him with England captain Harry Kane as he was formally unveiled as manager at Stamford Bridge.

The pair enjoyed success during their days together at Tottenham, reaching the Champions League final in 2019, and the Argentinian was pressed on whether he would look to Kane to try and revive his new side’s ailing attack.

Chelsea scored only 38 league goals last season, their worst return in almost a hundred years, as they finished a dismal 12th in the Premier League.

They have already added RB Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal, and the manager said the club are still looking to do more business to improve their front line.

But he stopped short of saying he would ask the club to bid for Kane, who scored 30 times in the league last season and, with Spurs not qualifying for Europe, has been the subject of interest from Bayern Munich.

“You are talking about one of the greatest strikers in the world,” said Pochettino. “I think it’s too unfair to talk (about a player at another club). The most important thing is that fans are not stupid. They are so clever. They know my relationship with him was always amazing.

“I saw him when he was young and grow up and achieve all that he was achieving. We have a great relationship.

“At the moment, we are thinking (in the transfer market) in a different way. We are not thinking that. We’re working hard to try to provide the squad with good quality.

“We are working on that and still we have time to work. For sure we are going to add players that can score and we are going to find the best way to play.”

The club have begun a significant overhaul of their squad since the transfer window re-opened, with players leaving to slim down the squad and trim the wage bill.

Mason Mount and N’Golo Kante have led an exodus of nine first-team players to depart so far, but the club remain in the market for recruits as they look to address last season’s crisis of form in front of goal.

“Football is really dynamic,” said Pochettino. “What we have today maybe tomorrow disappears. We need to be ready if we need more or not or maybe we go through the pre-season and we realise we need to improve in different positions or add more players that can score.

“It’s really dynamic and we’re going to assess every single day the situation.”

The manager added that Chelsea’s owners will need to check in with him before paying visits to the Stamford Bridge dressing room as he was formally unveiled as the club’s new manager.

Co-controlling owner Todd Boehly frequently entered the dressing room under successive head coaches last season, telling the players after a defeat to Brighton in April that their season had been “embarrassing.”

Pochettino began work at Cobham on Monday just over a month after he was confirmed as permanent successor to Graham Potter, who Boehly sacked just seven months after appointing him.

The Argentinian is tasked with resurrecting the club after they suffered their worst season in 29 years last campaign, finishing 12th and failing to mount a credible challenge for silverware despite the owner’s Clearlake Capital consortium forking out over £600million on transfers.

Pochettino said he felt it was his responsibility to create the kind of culture where people clearly understand their place and function in the wider collective.

“We need to understand that they own the football club,” he said when asked whether the hierarchy would be welcome on his watch to address the players post-match.

“We need to respect that. The thing is to talk about how we need to behave because that is an important thing.

“The culture of football in England is a lot to understand. My responsibility also is to help and to add our knowledge and capacity to create this culture where everyone knows how to behave in different situations.

“For me, more than welcome if the owner comes to the dressing room, to the training ground. But always they need to communicate with myself, I need to know, and to prepare the people to receive.

“In here (the dressing room) it’s really special in England. Maybe in another country it’s different, but here it’s this way.

“The manager has some influence in all football clubs, for the fans, for the players, for the staff and the media. Altogether we need to create this. We are there to guide all the people that are involved in this football club, to try to create the best atmosphere and try to work and perform in the best way.

“I am more than happy if they are close to us. But they are the owners. The players, the fans, the media – the coach is who decides how things are going to work in the dressing room, on the pitch, on the training ground.  Also with the sporting directors, we create the line to follow.”

Former captain John Terry tweeted on Friday that he has re-joined the club working with the academy.

The 42-year-old won five Premier League titles with Chelsea as well as the 2012 Champions League.

Levi Colwill will not be leaving Chelsea this summer in spite of continued interest from Liverpool and Brighton, the PA news agency understands.

The club are not willing to entertain offers for the 20-year-old defender, who starred for England Under-21s as they beat Israel 3-0 on Wednesday to advance to the European Championship final in Georgia.

He is currently contracted to Chelsea until the summer of 2024 with an option of another year if certain criteria are met.

Colwill spent last season on loan at Brighton where he made 22 appearances and established himself as a Premier League player as the Seagulls qualified for Europe.

Brighton had been keen to sign the defender permanently, but PA understands Chelsea are not prepared to listen to offers, including from Jurgen Klopp’s side who reportedly made a fresh enquiry this week.

It is also understood that Christian Pulisic’s proposed move to AC Milan is yet to be agreed with the two clubs still apart with their valuation of the player.

The United States international is surplus to requirements under Mauricio Pochettino and has also been the subject of interest from Ligue 1 side Lyon.

The French side have offered something closer to Chelsea’s valuation but it is believed the 24-year-old favours a move to San Siro.

The club confirmed on Thursday that Cesar Azpilicueta has ended his 11-year stay in west London – with the 33-year-old reportedly having agreed a return to Spain to join Atletico Madrid.

It means one of Pochettino’s first tasks as manager will be to appoint a new captain, with regular stand-in from last season Mateo Kovacic having been sold to Manchester City.

Azpilicueta made more than 500 appearances for the club since joining from Marseille in 2012 and established himself as a favourite at Stamford Bridge, winning the Premier League in 2015 and 2017 as well as leading the side to victory in the Champions League in 2021.

An FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League winner, he appeared in a club-record 13 major cup finals.

Co-controlling owner Todd Boehly told the club’s website: “Coaches and team-mates past and present have trusted (Azpilicueta) to lead by example as captain.

“He has done so immaculately on and off the pitch, something for which we are grateful.”

New Manchester United signing Mason Mount says he left Chelsea with it having become clear “several months ago” that he was not in the club’s plans for the future.

The England midfielder completed his move from the Blues to United this week on a deal to 2028, with the option of a further year, for what is understood to be an initial fee of £55million.

Mount told MUTV: “Several months ago I think it became clear that I wasn’t in Chelsea’s plans moving forward and once I knew that United were involved, my decision was made.

“It’s a massive club, huge, iconic players have played here, and I wanted to be a part of that from the beginning. Getting in early, ready for pre-season to start, was a main objective of mine as well.”

The 24-year-old – who had an 18-year association with Chelsea, played 195 times for them, scoring 33 goals, and helped them win the Champions League in 2021 – added: “I’ve always seen myself as a midfielder, a number eight that can obviously get forward and attack, try to score goals, create goals, but also be able to do the other side as well and defend and help the team when we’re under pressure. That’s a massive focus of mine.

“I know what I can bring to this team and now it’s about going and doing it on the pitch.”

Mount, set to wear the number seven shirt in Erik ten Hag’s United team, cut short a family holiday in Disneyland to finalise the deal.

He said: “We had a little trip to Disneyland, for the niece mainly – I enjoyed it as well, of course!

“We came back a bit early just to make our way up here, drive up here, see what the trip’s like and everything. But it was well worth it, and it’s great to be up here now.

“It’s been an amazing couple of days, coming here, seeing everyone, meeting everyone at the training ground, such a warm welcome. I feel very much at home already.”

Manchester United have completed the signing of Mason Mount from Chelsea on a contract to 2028 with the option of a further year, the club have announced.

The PA news agency understands the fee agreed for the 24-year-old England midfielder is an initial £55million.

Mount – who came through the ranks at Chelsea and made 129 Premier League appearances for them, scoring 27 goals and providing 22 assists – said in a statement from United: “It’s never easy leaving the club where you grew up, but Manchester United will provide an exciting new challenge for the next phase of my career.

“Having competed against them, I know just how strong a squad it is that I’m joining, and I can’t wait to be part of this group’s drive to win major trophies.”

Mason Mount has confirmed that he will be leaving Chelsea after 18 years at the club.

The 24-year-old came through the ranks at Stamford Bridge and since making his first-team debut in 2019 has gone on to score 27 goals and provide 22 assists in 129 Premier League appearances.

The PA news agency understands that Manchester United have agreed a deal to sign the midfielder for an initial £55million.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mason Mount (@masonmount)

Mount, who won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021 and has earned 36 caps for England, posted a farewell message to Blues fans on Instagram.

He said on Instagram: “Hi Chelsea fans, given the speculation over the last six months this may not come as a surprise to you, but it doesn’t make it any easier to tell you that I’ve made the decision to leave Chelsea.

“I feel you deserve more than just a written statement, so I wanted to tell you directly how grateful I’ve been for all of your support over the last 18 years.

“I know some of you won’t be happy with my decision, but it’s what’s right for me at this moment in my career.

“I joined Chelsea when I was six years old and we’ve been through a lot together.

“Winning the Youth Cup, my Player of the Year awards, the Super Cup, the Club World Cup and of course that unforgettable night when we won the Champions League.

“I want to say thank you to the academy, Jim and Neil for being so influential to me from such a young age.

“The managers I’ve worked under, Frank (Lampard), Thomas (Tuchel) and Graham (Potter), the backroom staff, the unsung heroes of Cobham, all of my teammates over the years that have become my brothers.

“My family for the continuous love and support and most importantly you guys for sticking with me throughout. Wish you all the best.”

Chelsea have signed England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton on a free transfer from Aston Villa.

The 22-year-old, capped twice by her country and named in Sarina Wiegman’s squad for this summer’s World Cup, has signed a three-year deal after her contract with Villa expired.

She brings Women’s Super League experience from stints with both Birmingham and Villa, having made 15 appearances while helping the latter to a fifth-placed finish last term.

Hampton was part of England’s trophy-winning squad at Euro 2022 and also has honours to her name from the Finalissima earlier this year and 2022’s Arnold Clark Cup.

In joining the reigning WSL champions, she now wants to add club silverware to her collection.

“I’m very excited,” Hampton said on the Chelsea website. “It’s a massive club, it’s an honour to be a part of this and to be able to wear the club’s badge. I want to keep improving, to help the team however I can and I’d love to win some trophies with the club at the same time.”

Hampton began her career with Villarreal in Spain after moving to the country as a youngster, but then returned to England with Stoke before joining hometown club Birmingham, making her senior debut in 2017 and making 50 appearances before switching to rivals Villa in 2021.

Chelsea boss Emma Hayes added: “There is no doubt that Hannah is one of the best young goalkeepers in the world. Her performances have been improving year on year, and we have high hopes for her future with us.”

Chelsea have announced the signing of Portugal Under-21 international Diego Moreira from Benfica.

Moreira, 18, joined Benfica from Standard Liege in 2020 and was part of the side which won the 2022 UEFA Youth League.

Having made his senior debut in May 2022, Moreira featured regularly for Benfica B last season.

The teenage winger is part of Portugal’s squad at the European Under-21 Championship, where they will face England in the quarter-finals on Sunday.

Moreira’s arrival on a free transfer follows on from the signings of forwards Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal and Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek has completed a permanent move to AC Milan.

Loftus-Cheek’s departure is one of several recent outgoings as new Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino reshapes his squad ahead of the start of the season.

Arsenal completed the signing of midfielder Kai Havertz, while N’Golo Kante, Kalidou Koulibaly and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy all headed for Saudi Arabia.

The PA news agency understands that midfielder Mason Mount is also set to depart after Manchester United agreed to sign the England international for an initial £55million.

Chelsea have announced the signing of forward Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal.

The 22-year-old joins the club on an eight-year deal after scoring 12 goals for the LaLiga side last season.

He began his career at Senegal Premier League side Casa Sports before moving to Villarreal in September 2019.

A successful season with the Spanish side saw him make 38 appearances in all competitions for the club and he was called up to represent Senegal at the World Cup.

Co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley told the Chelsea website: “We are excited to welcome Nicolas to Chelsea. He is a young player with big potential, as he showcased for Villarreal last season.

“We believe he is ready for this next step in his career and look forward to him working with our new head coach, Mauricio Pochettino, and his Chelsea teammates.”

Jackson’s arrival came shortly after the Blues confirmed that Ruben Loftus-Cheek had completed a permanent move to AC Milan.

The 27-year-old joins Milan on a four-year deal running until June 2027.

His departure from Chelsea comes after 19 years with the club, having joined their academy in 2004.

He made 155 appearances for the Blues, scoring 13 times, and earned Premier League, Europa League and UEFA Super Cup winners’ medals during his time there.

An impressive loan spell with Crystal Palace also saw Loftus-Cheek selected for the England squad who reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

However, he struggled for game time under successive managers during the second half of last season.

His move comes as part of several recent outgoings from Stamford Bridge, with N’Golo Kante and Kalidou Koulibaly among those joining sides in Saudi Arabia’s Professional League.

Earlier this week, goalkeeper Edouard Mendy joined Saudi side Al-Ahli, while Arsenal completed the signing of midfielder Kai Havertz.

The PA news agency understands that Mason Mount is also set to depart after Manchester United agreed to sign the England midfielder for an initial £55million.

Chelsea have confirmed that Ruben Loftus-Cheek has completed a permanent move to AC Milan.

The 27-year-old joins Milan on a four-year deal running until June 2027.

His departure from Chelsea comes after 19 years with the club, having joined their academy in 2004.

He made 155 appearances for the Blues, scoring 13 times, and earned Premier League, Europa League and UEFA Super Cup winners’ medals during his time there.

An impressive loan spell with Crystal Palace also saw Loftus-Cheek selected for the England squad who reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

However, he struggled for game time under successive managers during the second half of last season.

His move comes as part of several outgoings from Stamford Bridge recently, with N’Golo Kante and Kalidou Koulibaly among those joining sides in Saudi Arabia’s Professional League.

Earlier this week, goalkeeper Edouard Mendy joined Saudi side Al-Ahli, while Arsenal completed the signing of midfielder Kai Havertz.

The PA news agency understands that Mason Mount is also set to depart after Manchester United agreed to sign the England midfielder for an initial £55million.

Arsenal have signed Kai Havertz from Chelsea on a “long-term contract” and have reportedly moved closer to sealing a deal for West Ham captain Declan Rice.

Havertz joins after three years with the Blues, during which he made 139 appearances, scoring 32 goals, including the winner in the 2021 Champions League final.

The news regarding the 24-year-old Germany international comes as it was reported that Arsenal had also agreed a £105million fee with West Ham for Rice.

Havertz said on Arsenal’s official website: “It’s super exciting for me to be joining this amazing club and to be part of the Arsenal family. This club has such a big history, and I hope we can achieve lots of things.

“The mentality in the Arsenal squad is very high and you can feel that. That was one of the reasons why it has been so hard to play against Arsenal recently.

“The aim is to win trophies and I’m going to give everything to do that for the supporters and everyone at the club. I’m now looking forward to meeting all the players and the staff when we come back for pre-season.”

AC Milan are close to agreeing a deal to sign Reuben Loftus-Cheek from Chelsea, the PA news agency understands.

A move for the 27-year-old is yet to be finalised but the Serie A side are hopeful that it will be completed in the coming days.

It will bring to an end a near 20-year association between Chelsea and the England international, who joined the club’s academy in 2004.

He has scored 13 times in 155 appearances for the club, with 10 of those coming during the 2018-19 campaign, but struggled for game time under successive managers during the second half of last season.

He was a part of the England squad who reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

The club are keen to do as much outgoing transfer business as possible before June 30 so that deals can be included in financial accounts for the 2022-23 season.

N’Golo Kante and Kalidou Koulibaly have already departed to join sides in Saudi Arabia’s Professional League, with Edouard Mendy and Hakim Ziyech expected to follow them after deals were agreed.

PA understands that Kai Havertz’s £65million move to Premier League rivals Arsenal will be announced this week, with a deal also in place for Mateo Kovacic to join champions Manchester City.

Mason Mount’s future remains in doubt, with the club so far unable to come to an agreement with Manchester United over a fee for the midfielder, who has told Chelsea he wants to leave.

Kalidou Koulibaly has left Chelsea after only one season to join Saudi Professional League side Al-Hilal.

Senegal captain Koulibaly moved to England last summer from Napoli on a four-year deal in a transfer reported to be worth £34million.

The centre-back went on to make 32 appearances for Chelsea during a difficult season, but has now departed Stamford Bridge

A club statement read: “We would like to thank Kalidou for his contributions on and off the pitch during his time at Stamford Bridge and wish him well for the next stage of his career.”

Koulibaly is not the first Chelsea player to make the move to Saudi Arabia. N’Golo Kante agreed to join Al-Ittihad on a free transfer following the expiration of his deal with the Blues.

A number of high-profile names have moved to the Saudi Professional League during the past six months.

Karim Benzema has already agreed to join Al-Ittihad after 14 seasons at Real Madrid, following Cristiano Ronaldo who moved to Al Nassr from Manchester United in December.

Wolves captain Ruben Neves has also agreed a £47m move to Al-Hilal.

After Koulibaly and Kante, Chelsea outcasts Edouard Mendy, Romelu Lukaku and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have also been linked with moves to the Gulf state.

Manchester United have made another improved bid for Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount, the PA news agency understands.

With Mount’s contract at Stamford Bridge set to expire next summer, United have made the England international one of their transfer targets.

After an initial bid was rebuffed last week, United returned with an offer of £45million plus £5million in add-ons.

It is understood that was also rejected. United’s latest proposal, believed to be in the region of £55m, has now been received by Chelsea, but is yet to be considered.

Chelsea are reportedly holding out for higher fee, closer to £65m, but there is a limit as to how far United are willing to go, given the player is soon out of contract and they also need to strengthen in other areas this summer.

Completing a deal for Mount would certainly help bolster the options for United boss Erik ten Hag in a key midfield area.

Mount came through the ranks at Chelsea, scoring 27 goals and providing 22 assists in 129 Premier League appearances.

The 24-year-old – a Champions League winner with the Blues – has won 36 England caps and started the Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy.