“How can they ban the club from selling players?” – Agent of Chelsea player hits out at UK sanctions after feeling client is now ‘trapped’ at club

It is no news anymore that Chelsea have been banned from all transfer activities as part of sanctions meted out on their owner Roman Abramovich by the UK government. Following the development, the agent of an unnamed Blues star has hit out at the sanctions as he feels his client is now trapped at the club.

According to Get French Football News (as reported by Mirror), the agent of a French-speaking player texted the account and said:

"How can they ban the club from selling players? Surely there are employment law implications for players who were due to leave now essentially being trapped?"

The situation arises amid Russia's ongoing attack on Ukraine. The club's owner Roman Abramovich came into the spotlight due to his relationship with Russia president Vladimir Putin.

As it stands, all of Abramovich's UK assets have been frozen. He has also been banned from selling the club. The club have been banned from selling merchandise and tickets. The Blues won't be able to renew the contracts of existing players, nor will they be able to sign new ones.

It is worth noting that the likes of Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen, Charly Musonda, Saul Niguez and Antonio Rudiger will all be out of contract at the end of the campaign.

With the Blues unable to sign replacements or raise funds from merchandise and ticket sales, it remains to be seen how they'll cope with the situation.

Chelsea to continue in the Premier League despite sanctions

Chelsea manager - Thomas Tuchel

Amid fears over a potential halt in action for Chelsea, the UK government has clarified that the club will have a special license to continue operating in the Premier League. Roman Abramovich, however, will not be allowed to benefit from his ownership of the club.

Culture secretary Nadine Dorries explained:

"To ensure the club can continue to compete and operate, we are issuing a special licence that will allow fixtures to be fulfilled, staff to be paid and existing ticket holders to attend matches while, crucially, depriving Abramovich of benefiting from his ownership of the club."