Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino may have received a welcome boost in his hunt for additions in January after it emerged that the Blues had been spoken to regarding the potential availability of one of Europe’s brightest young stars.
Chelsea striker links
Despite Chelsea winning four of their last six matches across all competitions, there is no doubt that a missing ingredient in their squad is an elite-level striker who can convert opportunities with regularity at Stamford Bridge.
Nicolas Jackson and Armando Broja are the only recognised central striking options on the books in SW6 and have struggled between them to make a desired impact across this term, netting just four goals between them from a combined 16 appearances (Chelsea squad statistics – Transfermarkt).
Unsurprisingly, scoring goals in the Premier League has been a problem for Chelsea once again in 2023/24 and in total, the Blues have just 13 strikes to their name in the English top-flight, placing them as joint-tenth highest scorers in the league alongside Wolverhampton Wanderers, which is not good enough for a side keen to try and stake a claim for continental qualification.
Looking ahead to January, it has become clear that bringing in another forward is on the radar for the Blues as they seek to improve their levels of productivity in the final third. According to 90min, Chelsea have Brentford striker Ivan Toney in their sights and have held talks with his representatives, with the England international believed to be keen on seeking a fresh challenge away from the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford are looking to recoup a fee in the region of over £80 million for Toney and Arsenal are also reported to be hot on his tail – both Chelsea and the Gunners have looked at including players in exchange to try and drive the overall cost of any potential transfer down.
Now, Chelsea have been given an unexpected boost after reports emerged that one of the most exciting goalscorers in European football may be available to move clubs in January.
Benjamin Sesko could now be available
According to a separate transfer update from 90min, Chelsea have been contacted regarding the availability of RB Leipzig sensation Benjamin Sesko, as have a host of other clubs.
Intermediaries have also contacted the likes of Manchester United, Newcastle United and Arsenal to convey that the Austria international could be on the market in the New Year, with RB Leipzig believed to be open to selling Sesko for a fee in the region of £40 million.
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Benjamin Sesko’s goal record in 2023/24 – all competitions (Transfermarkt) |
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Appearances |
13 |
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Goals |
6 |
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Assists |
0 |
Sesko, who has previously been labelled as a “machine” by Football Talent Scout – Jacek Kulig, has carried a relatively potent goal threat despite playing second-fiddle at times to Lois Openda this term, taking on around 1.4 shots per fixture in the Bundesliga (Sesko statistics – WhoScored).
Nevertheless, a quickfire switch to English football could now be on the cards for the Slovenia international to continue his development, though we will need to wait and see if anything materialises on that front in January.