Chelsea are planning a mass clear-out of players at the end of the season, irrespective of what happens to Avram Grant. The Times has learnt that as many as ten first-team squad members could leave Stamford Bridge in what would be the most dramatic upheaval since the unprecedented summer of spending immediately after Roman Abramovich bought the club five years ago.

Grant and Abramovich are united in the belief that Chelsea’s squad needs a substantial overhaul if the club are to win trophies, although whether the first-team coach will be around to undertake the process is unclear. Abramovich would like to give Grant at least one full season to prove his worth, partially in the hope that it would justify his controversial decision to dismiss José Mourinho in September, but the owner’s reaction will be governed by results.

With many fans openly hostile and some players privately unconvinced, Grant’s position remains precarious, although taking Chelsea to the Champions League final for the first time would be enough for him to soldier on.

Grant is understood to be confident of keeping his job and has begun planning for the future, with Abramovich ready to release substantial funds to buy world-class players. The Israeli considers the squad he inherited to be unsuited to his requirements and several players have been told that they can move on.

Andriy Shevchenko, Claudio Pizarro, Steve Sidwell and Tal Ben-Haim will be put up for sale, with the futures of more established players such as Florent Malouda, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Carlo Cudicini and Juliano Belletti uncertain. With Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Wayne Bridge unsettled, the number of departures could reach double figures.

Chelsea’s biggest problem is likely to be finding clubs willing to match the wages they pay to fringe players, some of whom have lengthy contracts, while the heavy losses they will have to accept on transfer fees will hit their hopes of reaching their break-even target by 2010. Shevchenko, for example, is worth only a fraction of the £30 million Chelsea paid for him two years ago.

Sidwell, Ben-Haim, Wright-Phillips and Cudicini should be easier to sell to Premier League clubs, but the same cannot be said of Malouda, Belletti and Pizarro, who are less than 12 months into lucrative four-year deals.

Drogba would command a high fee if Chelsea fail to alter his determination to find a fresh challenge elsewhere, although Lampard’s resale value is falling all the time while his contract talks are on hold. The England midfield player was excused training yesterday as he spent the time with his ill mother in hospital and is unlikely to travel for tomorrow’s match away to Everton.