Chelsea eyeing “outstanding” new wonderkid if they can’t get Osimhen

Chelsea are on the hunt for a striker, and have lined up Victor Osimhen as their no.1 target this summer. Should they fail, however, they have another target in mind.

Blues still struggling under Pochettino

Despite more excessive spending over the summer, Chelsea are yet to truly click under Mauricio Pochettino. Marooned in midtable in the Premier League, they have begun to bridge the gap to the European football chasers and also reached the Carabao Cup final, where they will face Liverpool in February in a bid for their first silverware of Todd Boehly’s regime.

But there are still plenty of issues, with a clinical striker seemingly top of the next Chelsea transfer wishlist. Only Cole Palmer has managed to hit double figures this season so far, while Nicolas Jackson has found the net nine times but has also been guilty of missing several times that many chances in front of goal.

As a result, there is a widespread expectation that they will add a new no.9 before the new season, casting doubt on the futures of Armando Broja and David Datro Fofana, both of whom are out on loan.

Osimhen the priority, but who is the alternative?

High among their potential targets is Nigeria and Napoli frontman Victor Osimhen, and the striker would not be against a move to Stamford Bridge if reports are to be believed, while a £113m release clause could make a deal easier.

However, Paris Saint Germain are also thought to be chasing the striker, a hunt that will only intensify following the recent news that Kylian Mbappe will be leaving the club in the summer. Reports suggest that PSG have made Osimhen their no.1 target to replace the World Cup winner, which could re-ignite the transfer war that has been taking place between PSG and the Blues since Boehly’s arrival.

As a result, Chelsea are eyeing up alternatives and as per Nizaar Kinsella, they may turn back to Brighton to explore a move for Evan Ferguson.

The Brighton striker shot to prominence last season and is considered one of the hottest young talents available despite having had a difficult season for Roberto De Zerbi’s side. Dubbed “outstanding” by Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards, he is valued in excess of £100m and penned a new contract at the AMEX stadium earlier in the season, with Brighton keen to fight off interest from Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool.

Of course, Chelsea and Brighton have history. The Blues have made a habit of targeting both players (Marc Cucurella, Moises Caicedo and Robert Sanchez) and staff (Graham Potter and Kyle Macaulay) in deals that have so far worked out better for the south coast side than the west Londoners.

Also among their targets is Ivan Toney, but they will likely face Arsenal competition for the Brentford striker should they solidify their transfer interest. Like so many teams in the top flight this summer though, the Blues are putting a goalscorer top of their transfer list.