“Drogba was my biggest idol when I was growing up” “I want Chelsea move” – Chelsea eye £65m player who idolised Didier Drogba
A £65 million center-forward in the Premier League has recently been linked to Chelsea.
He once cited Blues great Didier Drogba as an idol, just like a lot of strikers do.
Chelsea is being linked to a number of prospective center-forwards that they may try to bring to Stamford Bridge as the summer transfer window draws near.
Although Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson are the Blues’ possibilities for playing at position nine, many fans will contend the team needs to sign a talented frontman to lead the line.
One attacker we don’t anticipate seeing in Chelsea colors next season is Victor Osimhen of Napoli. Enzo Maresca, the Chelsea manager, reportedly told Gazzetta that he is not interested in signing Osimhen, a central striker.
A new name has emerged in the transfer rumour mill regarding Chelsea’s search for a striker, though.
Chelsea eye Premier League forward
TalkSPORT claims that Chelsea and Tottenham have both set their sights on Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke as a potential summer target.
It is understood that Solanke, 26, has a release clause in his Bournemouth deal worth £65m. However, that is only active for the Premier League’s ‘big six’ clubs: Chelsea, Spurs, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal.
The report explains that the Blues have made signing a new striker a priority for this summer, with Solanke one potential option.
In addition, clubs in Italy share interest in the Bournemouth attacker.
Should Dominic Solanke return to Stamford Bridge?
Solanke enjoyed the best season of his career to date last year by scoring 21 goals across all competitions for Bournemouth, with 19 coming in the Premier League.
In truth, he’s perhaps a tad unfortunate to miss out on England’s squad for Euro 2024 this summer.
He developed in Chelsea’s academy as a highly rated youngster, but made just one first team appearance for the Blues before his exit in 2017. That was followed by two years at Liverpool before he found a real home on the south coast with Bournemouth.
Described as “really talented” by Jurgen Klopp via BBC Sport in January, Solanke has developed into a complete striker.
He idolised Didier Drogba
Solanke once admitted that he looked up to Chelsea icon Drogba as a player. In fact, they even shared a dressing room when the Bournemouth star was a youngster at the Bridge.
Solanke told The Athletic in 2021: “Take Drogba. He was my biggest idol when I was growing up. I was lucky enough to be around him especially when he came back to Chelsea the second time. He was always helping me.
“… Even to this day, I watch clips of him. It is something I still like to look at and work on because he was so strong. The way he used his body to bully defenders is something I want to do as well.”