Chelsea in talks for double attacker deal with first deadline set after rejecting offer for Boehly flop
Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly watches his team in action
Chelsea have identified bidders for two of the forwards they are trying to get rid of this summer – though neither attempt has yet been successful, according to reports.
A deconstruction of the Chelsea squad is underway ahead of the Mauricio Pochettino era at Stamford Bridge. After their excessive spending last summer and in January, which still led to a failure to qualify for European football, the Blues need to reduce their squad size and balance the books because of Financial Fair Play.
Exits have already been confirmed for Mateo Kovacic, Kalidou Koulibaly and N’Golo Kante. Furthermore, the likes of Edouard Mendy, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz are on the verge of finalising their next moves.
One major problem Chelsea have had in recent years, over various regimes, has been a lack of reliable strikers. Therefore, two of the attackers on their books could be put to one side for departures as well.
Romelu Lukaku is one of them, after spending the 2022-23 season on loan back at Inter. His second spell with Chelsea never went to plan, despite becoming a club-record investment at the time.
Although his subsequent return to Inter was a little underwhelming, he still has his heart set on staying there. And according to the Daily Telegraph, talks between the two clubs will continue this week.
Inter have failed with a first attempt to renew Lukaku’s loan into the 2023-24 campaign. Now, they are readying a second approach that would contain a €30m option to buy at the end of the spell.
Lukaku remains under contract with Chelsea until 2026, but they would prefer Inter to have an obligation to buy him, rather than an option.
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Nevertheless, Chelsea are under pressure to get Lukaku off the books again before their pre-season tour of the USA from July 17. Pochettino does not want any unsettled players to join their trip.
Therefore, over the next few weeks, Chelsea will hope to find a solution that would enable Lukaku to leave again.
Aubameyang also in demand after Chelsea struggles
The second striker Chelsea are considering a departure for is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. He was the last permanent signing of Todd Boehly’s first transfer window as chairman, but the subsequent sacking of Thomas Tuchel – his former manager at Borussia Dortmund – made the move appear questionable from the outset.
Aubameyang only scored once in the Premier League and twice in the Champions League during his debut season with Chelsea. It was a far cry from the form he had been showing with Barcelona in the six months before.
There was interest in him from LAFC in the winter, but he opted to stay in Europe. This summer, though, Aubameyang is almost certain to leave one way or another.
The Telegraph has also recently revealed that Chelsea have rejected an offer from Galatasaray for the 34-year-old.
The Turkish champions are losing Mauro Icardi after his loan spell from Paris Saint-Germain. They have seemingly turned to Aubameyang as an alternative solution.
It is not clear whether they put money on the table for the former Arsenal captain. Indeed, the Telegraph has made a point of concluding that Chelsea want to receive a fee for him.
Like Kante, Koulibaly, Ziyech and Mendy, there are also suitors within Saudi Arabia who would be keen on adding Aubameyang.
Lukaku was attracting interest in the Middle East too, but had no intention of entertaining it himself.
