Chelsea to offload Essien, Lyon interested

Chelsea will name a new manager in the summer and it’s anyone’s guess as to who that could be at this stage.
But the club will be keen to avoid the mistakes of the past and provide their next coach with a clean slate, and the Daily Mail believe that as many as nine players including Michael Essien are set for the exit doors.
The West London club are keen to offload a number of squad members, with financial fair play in mind, to make room for new additions this summer by trimming the hefty wage bill.
Frank Lampard, Fernando Torres, Florent Malouda, Michael Essien, Yossi Benayoun, Marko Marin, Paulo Ferreira, Henrique Hilario and Jeffrey Bruma are the players the Daily Mail believe to be leaving Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.
Essien, who is gradually becoming a pivotal part of the Real Madrid team under Jose Mourinho, has since been linked by the Spanish press with his former club, Olympique Lyon in France.
Others also believe that if Mourinho returns to Stamford Bridge in the summer, he will bring Essien along to give the Ghanaian another chance to resurrect his Blues career.
Meanwhile, Essien is becoming Madrid’s talisman in the Spanish La Liga. Los Blancos have won the last eight league matches that the on-loan Chelsea player has featured for them.