Chelsea made £68m player their first-choice striker target to replace Nicolas Jackson
This summer, Chelsea may still sign a new center-forward.
Thus far, their attempts have been unsuccessful as Benjamin Sesko has chosen to remain at RB Leipzig and a deal to acquire Jhon Duran from Aston Villa has not yet been finalized.
Journalist Simon Phillips speculates that Chelsea may eventually lose interest in Duran.
But the summer is still young, and the Blues seem to have other priorities.
Chelsea need a new striker after finishing last season with just Nicolas Jackson, who is reportedly unhappy at the club following Mauricio Pochettino‘s exit.
Chelsea have switched their focus
While Duran looked to have become Chelsea’s No.1 target for the striker position after Sesko’s decision to remain in Germany, the club now appear to be prioritising someone else.
According to gianlucadimarzio.com, Atletico Madrid’s Samu Omorodion is currently Chelsea’s first-choice No.9 target.
In fact, according to the same website, they have already had a €40m (£33.7m) bid for Omorodion turned down.
Atletico are said to want around €80m (£67.5m) for the 20-year-old, the value of his release clause.
Does Samu Omorodion want to leave Atletico Madrid?
Even if Chelsea are prepared to meet Atletico’s valuation for Omorodion, they could still find it difficult to lure the Spaniard to Stamford Bridge this summer.
Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio has also claimed in his report on his website that Omorodion is unsure about leaving the Civitas Metropolitano this transfer window.
All things considered, Omorodion does not seem worth all of this effort to sign him.
The Spain U21 international is just 20 years of age and only scored eight goals in 34 league appearances last season while out on loan at Alaves. Nevertheless, Chelsea look very keen on him.
Of course, they could really do with a new centre-forward coming in, but you really have to question whether Omorodion is the right man. Based on all of the above, probably not.