Here are the names; Mauricio Pochettino leaves five players out of Chelsea’s pre-season tour squad

Here are the names; Mauricio Pochettino leaves five players out of Chelsea’s pre-season tour squad.

Chelsea are leaving a host of first-team players back at Cobham while the core of Mauricio Pochettino’s squad fly to the United States to begin their pre-season tour.

After two weeks on the training pitches, the west London club jet out to North Carolina on Monday ahead of facing Wrexham in their first pre-season friendly at the Kenan Memorial Stadium on Thursday.

But there will be some high-profile absentees not on the plane, with the Daily Mail reporting that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Hakim Ziyech will join Romelu Lukaku in missing the trip.

All three players are the subject of transfer interest and are not part of Pochettino’s first-team plans.

The Argentine coach had opened the door for Lukaku to return to the fold but he is currently in talks about a return to Serie A with Juventus, while Saudi Arabia club Al-Hilal are also interested.

He was told he could delay a return to Cobham until after the rest of the squad have flown to the United States, avoiding any potential awkwardness, and both Aubameyang and Ziyech have now been given the same instructions.

Chelsea are currently holding talks with Marseille about a potential deal for former Arsenal captain Aubameyang and he is open to returning to France.

However, the Blues’ hierarchy want to secure a transfer fee – having paid £16.9million just a year ago – while his enormous salary could also prove to be a stumbling block to any deal.

Ziyech, meanwhile, came close to moving to Saudi Arabia only for a knee issue picked up in his medical to unravel the deal, though he still has a host of suitors including Napoli.

As well as that more established trio of disgruntled senior players, two youngsters – Omari Hutchinson and Harvey Vale – will also be left out of Chelsea’s travelling party.

The two teenagers have been training with the rest of the squad but, according to The Athletic, will not be part of the set-up next season so will instead stay behind in London in order to secure loan deals elsewhere and regular first-team football.

There is better news elsewhere, though, with 19-year-old goalkeeper Eddie Beach expected to travel with the squad later today.