Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has admitted he fears the sale of club could have an impact on negotiations with players who are out of contract in the summer.

Roman Abramovich confirmed on Wednesday that he is looking to sell the Blues after 19 years in charge – following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

A number of key Chelsea players are in the final months of their current deals, including captain Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.

Ahead of Chelsea’s trip to Burnley on Saturday, Tuchel said the club “can’t help it’ if the sale process has a negative effect on contract talks.

In his pre-match press conference, he said: “The bottom line is maybe we can’t help it – it is what it is.

“You never know maybe it has a positive effect on the negotiations or maybe it has a negative effect.

“We cannot predict and I would like not to predict on scenarios because you just lose focus, but everyone has a different situation and feels different about it (the sale).

“I hope for the best outcome still, I think we have something to offer still. Chelsea are a strong club and will stay a strong club.

“Our owner decided to sell the club but he sells a strong, solid, organised club at the highest level.”

Abramovich has set an asking price of £3billion for the club he bought in 2003 and has instructed his aides to set up a charitable foundation that will receive all net proceeds from the sale for the benefit of victims from the war in Ukraine.

A report by the Guardian has claimed that once a sale is complete, current Blues managing director Marina Granovskaia and chairman Bruce Buck are unlikely to stay on under the new ownership.

During his press conference, he revealed that a briefing was held on Thursday regarding the sale of the club, which was held by technical and performance advisor Petr Cech – rather than Granovskaia.

Questioned about the managing director, Tuchel responded: “I will not comment on speculation about that [Marina’s future]. My communication with Petr and Marina has been excellent from day one.

“Marina is ill at the moment so otherwise she would have been here and briefed everybody.

“There’s no doubt this will stay for next few days, months and weeks and hopefully it stays on the same level with the same person, but if not we will have to adapt.”

Tuchel revealed players and staff did not learn anything new in the briefing and admitted that there is uncertainty around the club over the sale.

He said: “We had a briefing here day after the match from Petr who gave everybody here, not just the players a quick brief.

“Not too much what we didn’t already know so we have to live with this situation.

“It does not make sense to worry too much as don’t have any influence at all.

“We’re allowed to focus on football, it was not only the team, the complete staff, we try to create atmosphere where we feel safe once we enter the building and feel calm.

“Because we do this on a daily basis that can help create a sense of calm.

“Of course there’s uncertainty and like with all humans, there’s 80 people in the building, everybody will feel different about this, some will feel scared, some will be excited and some will be sad.

“I think everything is allowed for every individual but we should allow ourselves to focus on what we love the most and that is football.”

The sale news comes in the middle of the season where Chelsea are still in the hunt for trophies.

Chelsea have slipped off the pace in the Premier League but are still in with a chance of winning the Champions League and FA Cup.

When asked if it could derail their season, he said: “It can affect (the season) but we should be careful of giving an outlook.”

Abramovich seeks to distance himself from Putin and sanctions imposed on the country following the invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.

The club have been assured by the Government that they can continue to operate even if Roman Abramovich is sanctioned.

Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss and LA Dodgers owner Todd Boehly are preparing to table a bid after forming a consortium aiming to buy the club, but the group are not willing to meet Abramovich’s £3bn asking price.

Abramovich rejected an offer of £2.2bn from Boehly three years ago, but the Russian was not an active seller at that time and he may now have to accept an even lower figure due to the lack of alternative bidders, and the on-going threat of Government sanctions.

Egyptian billionaire Loutfy Mansour became the latest businessman to distance themselves from buying Chelsea on Friday.

Mansour joined British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe – the wealthiest man in the UK – in distancing himself from the club.

While the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust has demanded the club’s new owners guarantee they won’t sign up to any future European Super League and assurances the Blues won’t leave Stamford Bridge.

With negotiations ongoing, the Trust has urged any prospective owners to engage with supporters at the 'earliest opportunity' and made a series of requests.

One was a guarantee that the new ownership will not sign Chelsea up for a future Super League “without the engagement of key stakeholders, with supporters at the forefront.”

Meanwhile in Ukraine, Russia renewed its attacks today, after Putin vowed to achieve “total victory” on Thursday.

Mykolaiv, in the south, said Russian troops had entered the outskirts just days after nearby Kherson was taken

Kyiv, Chernihiv and Kharkiv all came under renewed bombardment in the early hours, with Mariupol also attacked by Russian troops.

Zaporizhzhia, home to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, was also attacked overnight with a building next to the reactors set on fire which burned for four hours before it was extinguished and the plant was seized. (Text, excluding headline: Daily Mail)