According to The Athletic, Chelsea have Lyon striker Moussa Dembele in their sights ahead of the summer transfer window.
This is in light of Liverpool stepping up their interest in RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner, a name the Blues reportedly looked at heading into January. And while the 21-goal striker would have been an excellent addition to Frank Lampard’s squad, Dembele is by no means a terrible alternative.
The Frenchman has been in excellent form this season, hence why his market valuation on Transfermarkt has gone up from £27m (September 2019) to £45m. In 27 Ligue 1 appearances, he has scored 16 goals and proven to be a nuisance to defenders across France.
It is certainly a respectable record, with only Kylian Mbappe (18) and Wissam Ben Yedder (also 18) managing to score more in French football’s top division. Meanwhile, Mbappe’s Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Neymar has scored three less. It remains to be seen how Dembele would fare in the Premier League, but former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has no doubts about his quality.
“They need to get a striker in. Moussa Dembele would be a magnificent signing for Chelsea,” the 47-year-old told the Daily Mail back in January. “I know Moussa quite well. I faced him when I was QPR manager, he played ever so well and killed my defence. He has developed himself extremely well.”
Tammy Abraham has done well this season, scoring 15 goals in all competitions for the Blues. But Lampard needs to add more firepower to his squad if they are to go up another level — Liverpool, Manchester City and Leicester City have all scored more goals than them this term, showing the gap that needs to be bridged.