Chelsea board make transfer decision – and it’s bad news for £32m signing

Chelsea have decided to sign a new striker in the summer, with five names under ‘serious consideration’.

The team’s underwhelming form in the second-half of the season and their reoccurring struggles in front of goal has convinced the Stamford Bridge hierarchy to bring in a new goalscorer.

That means Nicolas Jackson, who joined the club in a £32m move from Villarreal in 2023, will face a major fight to stay in the team and possibly even save his Blues career.

Jackson has missed much of the second-half of the season through injury but flattered to deceive before his lay-off, going ten games without a goal.

Chelsea had in fact scored just three goals in their last five games before Thursday’s 3-0 Europa Conference League quarter-final victory over Legia Warsaw.

With Chelsea deciding to bring in a new striker in this summer’s transfer window, Sky Sports say five players are of interest to the Premier League club.

The five players – Liam Delap, Benjamin Sesko, Victor Osimhen, Hugo Ekitike and Jonathan David – largely reflect Chelsea’s policy of signing younger players.

Liam Delap has caught the eye of several top Premier League clubs with his impressive form for relegation-battlers Ipswich Town this season.

The 22-year-old former Manchester City player has scored 12 league goals for an Ipswich side that have won just four of their 31 games this term.

Clubs interested in signing Delap would have been buoyed by the news the England U21 star has a £30m release clause that comes into effect once Ipswich’s relegation is confirmed.

Given the forward’s development and Ipswich’s predicament, Delap looks certain to leave Portman Road at the end of the season and should consider a move to Manchester United or Aston Villa, according to Paul Merson.

‘He’s a talent and £30m is not a lot of money for a player of his age,’ Merson said. ‘He’s got to pick the right club to go to.

‘He plays with a lot of grass in front of him at Ipswich, where teams have a go so he can make good runs.

‘He’s got to weigh it up where he goes. I’ve seen people like [Romelu] Lukaku come to Chelsea, and teams stick 10 behind the ball and they haven’t got that guile.

‘I don’t know if he’s got that one-two, flicking it around the corner, going again – he’s got to pick the right team for him.

‘He needs to sit down with his agent and his dad [ex-Stoke midfielder Rory Delap], who knows his football after playing at the top level, and think about where’s the best place for him.

‘It’s not always about the money, it’ll be about what team suits him for the way he plays and the chances he gets.

‘For me, the team that ticks the boxes are Aston Villa. They have a big pitch, they play on the counter-attack, so teams come and have a go at Aston Villa.

‘I just think with the bigger clubs, like Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City, they (opponents) stick 10 behind the ball. I think Man United would be a brilliant fit for him.’

Slovenia international Benjamin Sesko has enjoyed another productive season for RB Leipzig – scoring 19 goals in all competitions – and has also been linked with Chelsea’s London rivals Arsenal.

The same can be said for Victor Osimhen, currently impressing on loan at Galatasaray after being discarded by Napoli boss Antonio Conte.

Osimhen was in fact close to joining Chelsea last summer but a deadline-day move to Stamford Bridge fell through, forcing a delegation from Stamford Bridge to return empty-handed.

Hugo Ekitike has been one of the most impressive forwards in the Bundesliga this season and got on the scoresheet once again in Eintracht Frankfurt’s Europa League quarter-final first leg draw with Tottenham.

Canada international Jonathan David has scored more than a goal every two games for Ligue 1 side Lille over the past three seasons and 32 in 61 games for his country.

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