CHELSEA STARS IN LINE FOR £11m POT

CHELSEA’s players will share a bonus pot of £11million if they complete a Champions League and FA Cup double. Thomas Tuchel’s squad have already guaranteed aggregate bonuses of £5m for reaching the Champions League final for the third time in the club’s history and another £5m will be on the line when they face Manchester City in Istanbul on May 29. In addition, the players will split a £1m bonus if they beat Leicester in the FA Cup final a week tomorrow. Chelsea run a players’ pool, with all bonuses shared equally among members of their matchday squad, meaning each player stands to earn around £500,000 if they win the Champions League. This approach contrasts with Manchester City’s, who negotiate individual bonuses with each player during contract talks. City’s overall bonus liability is higher, with the club committed to paying out around £15m if they win the Champions League for the first time. The top earners in Pep Guardiola’s squad, such as Kevin De Bruyne, have £1m bonus clauses written into their contracts. Other players will take home around £600,000, while fringe squad members are set to receive a lower bonus. Even such lavish bonuses are insignificant compared to the money Chelsea and City are set to earn as clubs for winning the Champions League. The winners will receive a windfall of £100m in prize money and broadcast revenue, £16.5m of which is handed out by UEFA for winning the final. Chelsea expect to receive details of ticketing arrangements for the final from UEFA today, with the European governing body planning to welcome up to 4,000 fans from each club to the Ataturk Stadium as part of a crowd of 25,000. Turkey’s lockdown is due to end on May 17, so travelling fans will not have to quarantine on arrival. But with the country set to be placed on the UK Government’s amber list when international travel resumes in ten days’ time, fans will be forced to isolate and take multiple Covid tests upon their return. Meanwhile, Chelsea will seek clarity on N’Golo Kante’s long-term future as soon as the season is over. French midfielder Kante, 30, is entering the final two years of his Chelsea deal and the club are keen to avoid the influential former Leicester man running his contract down.