Chelsea are reportedly ‘considering’ whether or not to push for a new striker, as they’ve identified Ollie Watkins as a potential signing, in a move that would add further woe for Aston Villa.
The Blues’ transfer window has already been a hectic one. As many as 11 players have left the club permanently, including big names such as Kai Havertz, Mason Mount and N’Golo Kante.
There have as yet been four inbound transfers: Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, Angelo and Diego Moreira. Chelsea are also still on the trail of Moises Caicedo, with a recent report stating they were soon to lodge a bid of £80million plus add-ons.
With so many players having left, they might well want to add some more players than just Caicedo into the mix.
Insider Simon Phillips has reported Mauricio Pochettino’s side are ‘considering whether to push to sign a new number 9 this summer or not’. The report goes on to say that a new striker would have to be ‘the right option’.
They have added a new man to the list of potential striker signings – Aston Villa’s Watkins. It’s noted in the report the snare might be a difficult one to pull off, but there is definite interest from the Blues.
As such, whether or not they do decide to pursue the forward fully remains to be seen. If they do and they are able to land him, the deal would add insult to injury for the Villans.
Indeed, Unai Emery’s side were interested in one of Chelsea’ other summer signings, Jackson. That was likely driven by the fact the manager worked with the forward during his time at Villarreal.
However, obviously, the Blues won that battle. If they were to sign Watkins as well, they’d then have two forwards that Emery could have had playing together in his own forward line at Villa had he got his way.
After losing out to Chelsea for Jackson, as well as the fact Watkins has been one of Villa’s best players over the past few seasons – notching 15 goals last season – it’s unlikely they’d let him go.
As such, if Pochettino’s side are definitely interested in adding another forward to the mix, they may well have to look elsewhere.
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