Chelsea is once again in the manhunt to sign a striker, and they are desperate.
They are even willing to trade in their star players to ensure that the deal happens. New Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has shown interest in signing Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha, according to inside news from the transfer market.
Strikers haven’t had the best stays at Stamford Bridge. Earlier it was Romelu Lukaku and, most recently, Timo Werner – two high-profile signings that couldn’t make any impact during their time.
But this time around, with new ownership, Chelsea is desperate for a striker, at least in the short term. According to reports, Chelsea is looking at pushing a deal on Zaha before the transfer market closes on September 1st.
Zaha, who entered into his final 12 months with Crystal Place, could be an ideal replacement for Raphinha after the Blues missed out on a chance of signing him. Currently, only Raheem Sterling and Carney Chukwuemeka remain the only attacking options for Chelsea.
The French news outlet Media Foot claimed earlier that the 29-year-old is considering Chelsea as a priority, but Jose Mourinho’s Roma has also advanced on a move.
However, there is news that Chelsea could be offering Hudson-Odoi to Crystal Palace in a bid to increase his game time, and that could act as a source of motivation to let Zaha go.
What is the deal?
Zaha is one player that everyone who purchases Chelsea tickets for Stamford Bridge loves seeing, and the 29-year-old has spent much of his time at Crystal Palace and has scored for them on 74 different occasions.
In the case of the transfer, Chelsea might offer Hudson-Odi plus cash to make a better bid to sign Zaha. Although it feels like Chelsea isn’t up on the deal, this is brilliant business for Thomas Tuchel.
Despite earning a whopping £130,000 per week, Hudson-Odoi hasn’t reached his full potential, even after making 100 appearances. He has scored just 4 goals and has just 12 assists during his time in the Premier League.
Head over to Zaha, and the Ivory Coast national has scored 39 in the same period. Considering these numbers, the Chelsea swap is an ideal fix.
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang?
According to Fabrizio Romano, there are also hints that Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is working on a potential deal for the ex-Arsenal and current FC Barcelona striker Pierre Emerick Aubameyang.
In the league opener against Everton that Chelsea won, Tuchel deployed Raheem Sterling as a false 9, ahead of Kai Havertz, who played on the left. Youngster Armando Broja played as a striker.
While Sterling could not end up scoring or assisting, his influence was felt by the players, and Tuchel understands that he needs to be a regular in the starting XI. But Tuchel wants to have some sort of comfort at the front, and that is a reason why he is after Aubameyang.
Aubameyang was someone that the current Chelsea manager worked with during his time at Borussia Dortmund, and he feels that his addition could bolster the attack.
Ever since he left Arsenal at the start of this year, he has been impressive for FC Barcelona in the second half of the season. Chelsea is also trying to cash in on the financial situation at the Catalan side to bring in the striker as comfort.
Journalist Romano added that Barcelona management and manager Xavi are impressed with the Arsenal striker’s performance, but their financial situation puts them in a tight spot.
Frenkie de Jong wants in
After saying no to Manchester United despite the two clubs agreeing on terms, de Jong now wants his agent to close in on Chelsea before the September 1st deadline.
It is understood that Chelsea is in talks with the Dutchman as Tuchel intends to arm his midfield to be more attacking. But there is no agreement still in place, so De Jong has to sit back.
With Erik ten Hag winless after two games, the Manchester United rejection now looks like one of the best decisions the Dutchman made. United failed to collect a single point in their first two games and are yet to score their first goal this season.
With the summer transfers deadline set for September 1st, United have two games to bring in good faith to the club – Liverpool and Southampton. Nevertheless, De Jong has a deadline for his future at Camp Nou.
With a move to the Premier League on the cards, the £88.8million-rated midfielder has told teammates that he would rather wait it out for Chelsea. De Jong, who sees his contract until 2026 with Barcelona, earns close to £ 360,000 a week, elevating him to be one of the best-paid footballers in the world.
But Barcelona owes him £17million in deferred wages from the pandemic, which needs to be settled.
With Chelsea not afraid of throwing big money, it feels like the De Jong move will be one of the final transfers that would head Chelsea’s way. With De Jong in the midfield, Chelsea will once again look at their title hunt to claim back the Premier League, a silverware that they last won in 2017.
Chelsea needs a striker fast!
Chelsea’s biggest issues have always been their frontline. Every year all who purchase Chelsea tickets get excited about their new strikers and eventually get disappointed. Timo Werner was one such experiment that failed miserably. In two seasons, he appeared in 89 games and only scored 23 goals. Out of the 23, only ten came in the Premier League as he struggled to replicate his success story from RB Leipzig.
Lukaku was another failed signing after millions of pounds spent; both of them are back at their previous clubs.
But this window can be different. The Todd Boehly administration has been adamant about getting the best of talents, and Chelsea is showing their fighting spirit in the transfer market this time around, amusing every Chelsea tickets holder.
Chelsea is still in the big leagues, and the UEFA Champions League winners from 2021 are confident of a comeback on the European stage. Chelsea tickets are running out for the first half of the Premier League already, and if you still haven’t sourced your tickets, trusted reseller platforms have options just for you.
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