Chelsea’s £1.05bn squad nearly worth same as entire CONFERENCE LEAGUE combined – after Blues scrape past Swiss minnows

CHELSEA have qualified for the Conference League and based on squad value should absolutely walk it.

They confirmed their qualification for third tier European competition last night after edging past Servette on aggregate.

The Blues triumphed 2-0 in the first leg at Stamford Bridge last week, with the second leg being played out in Switzerland last night.

Christopher Nkunku got Enzo Maresca‘s side off to a flyer when he converted a penalty after just 14 minutes to make it 3-0 over two legs.

However, the Swiss minnows fought their way back into the tie when Jeremy Guillemenot netted in the 32nd minute.

Fans would have been excused if they got a little nervous when Enzo Crivelli made it 2-1 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate.

But Maresca’s widely changed XI – which did not perform well in SunSport’s ratings – managed to hold onto their aggregate lead and confirmed their spot in the Conference League proper.

Chelsea are expected to earn £5million before they even kick a ball in the competition, and they are in a league of their own when it comes to squad value in the third-tier European competition.

Indeed, Todd Boehly‘s outfit is estimated to have a squad value of €1.05billion (£883m), according to figures from Transfermarkt.

That figure dwarfs the team with the second biggest squad value in the tournament, Fiorentina, who have an estimated value of €266m (£224m).

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Other notable teams in competition are Real Betis (€186m), Panathinaikos (€95.7m), Copenhagen (€76.9m) and Gent (£60.8m).

In fact, the west Londoners squad value is nearly equivalent to the combined worth of ALL 35 OTHER TEAMS in the competition.

The 35 other clubs, six of whom Chelsea will face in the new league phase format of the competition, have an approximate total value of €1.3bn.

This all comes before Chelsea add anymore players to their ranks on deadline day, with names such as Jadon Sancho, Ivan Toney and Victor Osimhen also being linked with a move to the club.

The deal for Manchester United outcast Sancho hinges on Raheem Sterling going to other way and United agreeing terms with Chelsea over a proposed swap deal.

Meanwhile, talks regarding deals for Osimhen and Toney are fluid at this stage.

Both have reportedly agreed deals to sign for Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli, though the club are not in a position to get both, leaving the door open to at least one to sign for Chelsea.

Maresca and co will find out what teams they will face competition in the Conference League draw from Monaco at 1.30pm BST today.