Chelsea preparing £25m bid for "brilliant" forward who may replace Nkunku
da stake casino： Chelsea are now preparing a £25m offer for a “brilliant” forward who could be brought in to replace Christopher Nkunku, according to a report.
Chelsea looking to strengthen in attack
da esoccer bet： After a very strong start to the season, the Blues’ form has started to deteriorate over the past few weeks, losing three of their last four Premier League games.
Most recently, Enzo Maresca’s side succumbed to a 2-1 defeat away at Aston Villa in what could be a real blow to their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.
As such, Maresca may feel some reinforcements are necessary in the summer, if his side are going to compete for major honours, and a number of attacking targets are currently being assessed.
Viktor Gyokeres is one of the strikers of particular interest, with the Sporting CP star’s price tag dropping by £25m recently, while the west London club are also prepared to pay £58m for Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface.
Related Chelsea now join Barcelona in race to sign £67m Liverpool player
The west Londoners are looking to potentially poach their Premier League rivals.
The need to bring in a new striker may be exacerbated by the potential departure of Nkunku, who received widespread links to different clubs during the January transfer window.
According to a report from Spain, the Blues are now looking at replacements for Nkunku and Joao Felix, and Chelsea have now set their sights on Ferran Torres, with a €30m (£25m) offer for the Barcelona forward currently being prepared.
The former Manchester City man has failed to reach the heights expected of him in Spain since his arrival, and a return to the Premier League could now be on the cards.
Torres has fallen down the pecking order at the Camp Nou, indicating a deal could be possible this summer, although his current contract runs until 2027, which could complicate things.
Chelsea’s upcoming Premier League fixtures
Date
Southampton (h)
February 25th
Leicester City (h)
March 9th
Arsenal (a)
March 16th
Tottenham Hotspur (h)
April 2nd
Brentford (a)
April 5th
"Brilliant" Torres has impressed in England before
Pep Guardiola lauded his compatriot as “brilliant” during his time at the Etihad Stadium, with the Spaniard scoring 13 goals in all competitions in the 2020-21 season.
Guardiola also insisted the 24-year-old is capable of playing as a 9, but he has most commonly been deployed as a winger throughout his career, and his goal record for Barcelona is not that of an out-and-out striker.
Season
Appearances
Goals
2021-22
18
4
2022-23
33
4
2023-24
29
7
2024-25
18
5
As such, while Torres could be a solid addition to the squad, he is unlikely to solve Chelsea’s issues in the striker department, and Maresca should pursue a proven top-level forward as a priority in the summer.
Nicolas Jackson made a flying start to the campaign, but the Senegal international has now gone eight games without a goal in the Premier League, so it is clear a replacement is needed, and Torres could be that man.