REVEALED: Chelsea now have EIGHT players in quarantine – ‘after six of them tested positive for coronavirus’ – as stars return from sunshine holidays across Europe
- As many as EIGHT Chelsea players are isolating after a Covid-19 outbreak
- Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic and Fikayo Tomori were all holidaying in Mykonos, Greece and are now in self-isolation
- Jorginho, Ross Barkley, Emerson and Michy Batshuayi are also ‘in quarantine’
- Fourteen positive tests were recorded at 12 different top flight clubs last week
Chelsea’s preparations for the new season have been thrown into turmoil after they were hit by a coronavirus outbreak – with eight of their players missing pre-season as they self-isolate.
The Blues have confirmed a number of players have tested positive for Covid-19 and are in quarantine to limit the threat of further spreading among Frank Lampard’s squad.
Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, Christian Pulisic and Fikayo Tomori are all understood to be in self-isolation under Government guidelines after they were pictured on holiday on the Greek island of Mykonos before pre-season training began last weekend.
Jorginho, Ross Barkley, Emerson and Michy Batshuayi are also reported to be staying away from Chelsea’s Cobham base.
It is not known which of the players have tested positive. The Telegraph report that six players have the virus and a further two are quarantining because of close contact with those affected.
Christian Pulisic, Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori are pictured in Mykonos together
Pulisic and Mason Mount (right, with Didier Drogba) took their off-season holidays in Mykonos
Mount (second-left) and Abraham (centre) are said to be among Chelsea’s self-isolating stars
The players all underwent coronavirus tests at the end of last week ahead of their planned return to pre-season training.
But as a result of the need to quarantine, a number of Chelsea players have yet to report back to the club’s Cobham HQ.
Abraham, Mount and Barkley are in Gareth Southgate’s England squad and their quarantine period offers the Three Lions a potential headache with their Nations League tie away at Iceland coming up next Saturday.
Before Chelsea’s players underwent their checks it emerged last week that there had been a sharp rise in cases across the league following players’ summer breaks.
Tomori posted this photo from the SantAnna beach club in Mykonos last week
It’s understood four players have not returned to pre-season training yet under Frank Lampard
There has been a sharp rise in cases across the Premier League following the summer break
Fourteen positive tests were recorded at 12 different clubs who returned to pre-season training at the start of last week, including Sheffield United, West Ham and Brighton.
Mykonos has proven to be a go-to hotspot for Premier League footballers this summer as an alternative to the usual haunts of Las Vegas, Ibiza and Marbella – all locations where the Foreign Office advise against all non-essential travel.
Manchester United captain Harry Maguire was handed a 21-month suspended prison sentence on Tuesday after being found guilty of aggravated assault, resisting arrest and repeated attempts of bribery following a fracas on the Greek island of Mykonos last week.
Yet he may have to wait up to two years before his appeal is heard due to a backlog of legal cases in Greece.
Meanwhile, Chelsea confirmed the signing of left back Ben Chilwell for around £50million from Leicester. And they are close to taking their summer spending spree past the £220m mark by sealing a deal for German star Kai Havertz.
Attacking midfielder Havertz is finalising his club record move from Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday. Veteran defender Thiago Silva, 35, is also set to join on a free after leaving Champions League runners-up Paris Saint-Germain.
Chilwell signed a five-year deal worth up to £190,000 per week after passing a medical which included checks on a heel injury from the end of last season.
Ben Chilwell sealed a £50million move from Leicester City to Chelsea on Wednesday
The 23-year-old is Lampard’s third major signing, taking his summer spending to around £136m following the signings of Hakim Ziyech from Ajax and forward Timo Werner from RB Leipzig.
Chelsea are backing Lampard in the transfer market as they bid to cut the gap to runaway champions Liverpool and runners up Manchester City.
Chilwell has long been Lampard’s No 1 left back target. Sportsmail revealed in October that Chelsea had emerged as frontrunners for his signature following previous interest from Manchester City.
As well as Havertz and Silva, Chelsea are also close to snapping up free agent Malang Sarr, before allowing the 21-year-old French defender to go out on loan. They still remain in the market for a goalkeeper and another centre back. Either Emerson Palmieri or Marcos Alonso will leave following Chilwell’s arrival.