Chelsea is apparently looking for more economical options in their quest to complete a transfer for a new center forward. The Blues previously revamped their entire squad, including their strikers, within the last two years. The West London side signed Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal last summer to lead their front line.
Jackson, despite costing the club around $40 million, endured an up-and-down freshman campaign with his new team. Although he scored 17 total goals during the 2023/24 season, the striker also missed 24 big chances during Premier League play. Only Erling Haaland and Darwin Nunez racked up more massive missed opportunities than Jackson.
As a result of Jackson’s misfortunes, and the club’s willingness to sign new players, Chelsea is in the market for a new forward. The Blues have been linked with Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran in recent weeks. Villa, however, currently value their forward at over $50 million. Due to this price tag, Chelsea have reportedly turned their attention to Atletico Madrid youngster Samu Omorodion.
While Omorodion only managed to score nine goals on loan with Alaves last season, the forward is rated highly at Atleti. Chelsea recently saw a $38 million bid for the youngster rejected by the Spanish side. Despite the setback, the Blues are still working to sign either Duran or Omorodion.
Both forwards are expected to grow into solid players in the future. Nevertheless, the specific targets are certainly interesting. English rivals Arsenal are also looking to sign a center forward this summer. The Gunners, however, have been linked with big names such as Benjamin Sesko, Viktor Gyokeres, and Victor Osimhen. Manchester United also recently joined the race to potentially sign Joshua Zirkzee as well.
Chelsea’s resistance to targeting a current prolific striker could very well come down to financial restraints. Club brass obviously has no issue in splashing the cash, as evident by shelling out $1 billion on new players since 2022. However, the Blues are reportedly close to breaching potential profit and sustainability rules (PSR).
The club recently recorded a pre-tax loss of nearly $115 million for the 2022/23 financial year. They have, however, taken advantage of a loophole in the laws to avoid any points deductions so far.
Despite avoiding these penalties, Chelsea seemingly has to be careful in their spending during the summer transfer window. The English side is even pondering selling a star or two in order to raise more funds. They could even be looking to add players in any potential deal for Duran or Omorodion. This could very well work, as Villa has reportedly shown interest in Ian Maatsen. The Chelsea defender recently excelled on loan at Borussia Dortmund last season.
Either way, it seems as if Chelsea’s previous spending spree may very well hinder their chances of signing a top striker this summer. The Blues still need to improve their pricey squad if they want to continue climbing up the Premier League standings. They finished sixth last season after failing to be in the top half of the table the previous campaign.
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