Chelsea identify multiple transfer targets to replace departing Romelu Lukaku
Chelsea can now start planning player arrivals for the summer now that a loan fee has been agreed upon with Inter for Romelu Lukaku’s departure.
A team revamp was already planned at Stamford Bridge this summer, and things are set to quicken up soon.
Chelsea have selected Everton’s Richarlison, Lille’s Jonathan David, Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, and Sassuolo’s Gianluca Scamacca as potential replacements for the departing Belgian, according to the Daily Mail.
Everton are reportedly open to bids, but are expected to demand more than £50 million to even consider letting their Brazilian star go.
Richarlison has been the Toffees’ bright light on Merseyside and was instrumental in their struggle for survival last season.
Jonathan David appears to be the next in line.
The Canadian’s value skyrocketed after he helped Lille win the Ligue 1 title in 20/21, but a 10th-place finish last season means he’ll be relatively simpler to offload this summer.
David has 32 goals in 96 appearances with Lille in all competitions.
Victor Osimhen of Napoli is another interesting option. Since joining Napoli from Lille in the summer of 2020, the Nigerian has scored 28 goals in 62 appearances.
The Serie A giants invested a club-record €81.3 million to sign Osimhen 2 years back, meaning that any agreement for him is likely to cost a premium on that fee.
Finally, there’s Gianluca Scamacca of Sassuolo.
Scamacca’s 16-goal contribution to Sassuolo’s Serie A campaign nearly propelled them to a top-half finish, and while they fell short on goal difference to Torino and finished 11th instead, Scamacca had already done enough to pique Chelsea’s interest.
We can almost surely rule Osimhen out as a prospective addition if Chelsea does not make an extravagant investment similar to the Lukaku purchase last summer.
Scamacca, despite his talent, must continuously perform and produce results similar to last season at the highest level.
As a result, he is unlikely to be the solution to Chelsea’s goal-scoring crisis, at least not yet.
Jonathan David of Lille sounds like a nice concept.
Those who have watched him play know that the Canadian works diligently and has the ability to press off the ball.
That worked wonderfully in Lille’s Ligue 1 victory in 20/21, when David formed a strong partnership with experienced attacker Burak Yilmaz.
Then there’s Richarlison, who knows everything there is to know about playing in England.
Regardless of his price tag, the Blues will be aware that he is the only name on the list with Premier League experience.
There is also a wild card option. If Chelsea decides to give academy product Armando Broja a go, Thomas Tuchel’s team may not need to spend large money on a striker at all.
It remains to be seen which path we will take. On a weekly basis, one of Kai Havertz or Timo Werner might be inserted into the middle.
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Chelsea identify multiple transfer targets to replace departing Romelu Lukaku
