EPL: POCHETTINO EVALUATES CHELSEA'S TEAM AND ADVISES BLUES OWNERS ON WHICH PLAYERS TO LEAVE

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has examined the current Chelsea squad and informed the club's owners of a couple of players who would not be joining him at Stamford Bridge.

After inspecting the west London club, the former Paris Saint-Germain manager is alleged to have advised the club to focus on developing domestic talent.

The Argentine has emerged as the frontrunner to become Chelsea's new manager, and he is thought to be in advanced talks with the club's owners.

Pochettino's contract to replace Frank Lampard could be finalized this week, although it is unclear if he would take over immediately or wait until the summer.

Chelsea have spent almost £600 million since Todd Boehly took control last year, with a big squad makeover planned for this summer. Some of the players signed in the last two transfer windows came from the club's academy.

According to The Times, the manager has already made his decision on a number of players who will not be part of his plans at Stamford Bridge.

The fates of academy graduates Mason Mount, Conor Gallagher, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Trevoh Chalobah are uncertain at Chelsea, but Pochettino has warned the Blues that the presence of homegrown talent inside the group can play a significant role in developing a winning culture.

Another youngster, Levi Colwill, is due to return to the club this summer after a loan spell at Brighton.

Loftus-Cheek, Mount, Christian Pulisic, Mateo Kovacic, Callum Hudson-Odoi, César Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, on the other hand, will all have just one year left on their contracts come summer.

N'Golo Kante's contract expires at the conclusion of the season, and Romelu Lukaku will return from his loan term with Inter Milan, as the Italian club is unwilling to keep him.