What next for Chelsea after sale is approved?

Chelsea can finally start planning for the future after the UK government approved Todd Boehly's £4.25 billion purchase of the club, bringing down the curtain on the Roman Abramovich era.

The club have been transformed from Premier League also-rans into a trophy-winning machine under the Russian billionaire, winning 19 major trophies since 2003.

Chelsea have been operating under a special licence since sanctions were imposed on Abramovich by the British government in March. As a result, the Blues were not allowed to offer new contracts to existing players and effectively faced a transfer ban.

Defenders Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen are set to join Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively on free transfers and will need to be replaced.

The futures of Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso must be resolved, while Blues boss Thomas Tuchel is reportedly keen to plug the defensive gaps with a deal for Sevilla's Jules Kounde.