Osimhen to Chelsea latest as Pochettino switches focus to Portugal-based pair to bolster key position
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino
Chelsea have endured a disappointing season so far and club chiefs feel forced to act in the coming weeks to help try and salvage their campaign.
The Blues have spent almost £1bn since their takeover by Todd Boehly and Co but remain in the bottom half of the Premier League table and are showing little signs of progress.
Chelsea are in desperate need of experienced players and TEAMtalk can exclusively reveal that is the task ahead of the recruitment team this month.
A striker is top of Mauricio Pochettino’s priorities but Chelsea may have to wait until the summer to land a world-class option, with target Victor Osimhen set to remain at Napoli as things stand.
As TEAMtalk exclusively revealed, however, he is open to joining the Blues on a pre-agreement basis.
Osimhen’s release clause sits at £103m and that is not beyond the reach of Chelsea. Boehly has proven time and again that he is willing to sanction mega-money deals.
Both Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez cost the club over £100m respectively, for example.
TEAMtalk can also reveal that Brighton striker Evan Ferguson is another option for the Blues, but he will also command a big transfer fee.
Chelsea switch focus to defensive targets
TEAMtalk can confirm there has been an acknowledgment from within Chelsea that their defence is not good enough and a fresh option is now high on Pochettino’s wishlist.
Talented centre-back Ousmane Diomande is a player Chelsea are interested in and the Blues have made contact with Sporting Lisbon over a deal.
The Blues have been told, though, that they will need to pay the full release clause of just under £70m in his contract.
Another defensive target is Benfica star Antonio Silva, who has been watched by the club and, like Diomande, has been sounded out.
Again, Chelsea would have to match Silva’s release clause to sign him which would mean a huge £86m pay-out. He is also admired by Manchester United.
Leny Yoro and Jean-Clair Todibo are also on Chelsea’s radar alongside Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, but Palace have refused to sell the England star in this window.
The Blues could also move to bring in a central midfielder, but that may depend on the future of Conor Gallagher who has long been linked with a move to Tottenham.
Despite his importance to Pochettino, Gallagher is seen as a pure profit asset by club owners due to the fact he is a club academy graduate.
With that in mind, he is another player for Chelsea fans to keep an eye on over the next couple of weeks.
