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Renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano has provided some new information regarding Chelsea’s potential move for a star striker in 2024.
Will Chelsea sign a new striker?
The Blues have made a disastrous start to their Premier League season, having gone into the new campaign with hope that last year’s woes would be forgotten about. The appointment of Mauricio Pochettino hasn’t yet gone to plan, however, with both results and performances severely lacking.
After six league games so far this season, Chelsea are 14th in the table and have only won one match to date, at home to newly-promoted Luton Town, and there is increasing pressure on them to stay in the top four hunt even this early in the season.
One of the Blues’ biggest issues has been a lack of firepower in attack, with only five league goals scored to date in 2023/24, with Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Jackson netting four of those combined. It has highlighted the need for more options to arrive in the coming transfer windows, with a lack of depth at Pochettino’s disposal right now.
Mykhailo Mudryk is continuing to struggle and Jackson is still a young player learning his trade, so failure to bring in reinforcements could be a fatal error in January.
Which striker is on Chelsea’s radar?
Taking to X, Romano provided an update on Chelsea’s pursuit of Brentford striker Ivan Toney, saying he could join for different prices depending on if the move happens in January or next summer:
“Ivan Toney plan remains clear: try new, different opportunity in 2024 as he signed with new agents, represented by Stellar. Arsenal and Chelsea are both informed on potential conditions of the deal for January or summer, different price. Race still open.”
Toney is currently suspended for betting offences, so won’t be available to play until January, but he could be a fantastic option for Chelsea moving forward, having made a seamless jump from the Championship to the Premier League.
The 27-year-old is clearly adored by Brentford manager Thomas Frank, who has described him as a “remarkable” player, and he is someone currently at his peak, and who could remain in that period of his career for another four or five years.
Last season, Toney scored 20 goals in the Premier League, which is a superb effort for a player not representing one of the big clubs, and his overall tally for the Bees stands at 68 in just 124 appearances.
The threat of Arsenal is obvious, considering what an attractive proposition they are these days, but the Englishman could be promised more regular playing time in a Chelsea shirt, which could sway his thinking. Whether it is January that sees the Blues make a move for him remains to be seen, but they could do with him then rather next summer, even if his price tag is more expensive at that point.
Some may feel that Toney isn’t at the level required for Pochettino’s men, but that is a lazy assumption because he is playing for a fairly unfashionable club, and he has the ability to make a world of difference in the west Londoners’ attack.
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