Chelsea can use profitable sale to fund £85.5m striker transfer as club to 'open talks'

Chelsea could bag a significant transfer windfall that could help fund a big-money deal for a forward. The Blues are in the midst of one of the most exciting Champions League qualification races in recent memory, with five teams fighting for three places between third and fifth.

The Blues are currently sixth place and two points behind Newcastle United in fifth with just five games remaining. Enzo Maresca’s men face the toughest run-in of the teams involved in the race, and they are going to have to produce a fine run of form to secure a spot in UEFA’s premier competition next season.

Whether they make it or not, Chelsea are going to have to recruit in a couple of areas this summer, and none more than the striker position. The Blues have needed more from their strikers this season, with Nicolas Jackson starting well but now finding himself in the midst of a double-figure scoring drought, while it seems Christopher Nkunku will be leaving in the summer, with the forward struggling to impress Maresca this term.

Chelsea will almost certainly sign a striker this summer, and they have been linked with top goal-scorers aplenty. One of the latest is Eintracht Frankfurt frontman Hugo Ekitike, who is attracting plenty of attention ahead of this summer. Simon Phillips has reported that the Blues have already contacted the striker’s representatives.

The 22-year-old signed for PSG as a youngster, but he struggled for form and ultimately joined Frankfurt after an initial loan spell. The striker has scored 14 goals in 28 league games for Frankfurt, and he also scored for the German club against Tottenham in their Europea League quarter-final first leg recently.

The issue is that Ekitike, with his youth and potential, is being priced at a reported £85.5m, and at more than £70million in the more modest reports. A top striker is not going to come cheap for Chelsea this summer, and they already know they will have to spend big to land one.

One factor that will undoubtedly help is player sales, and Chelsea should have an opportunity to make some cash back on midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka, who hasn’t nailed down a regular spot with the Blues. Maresca has not been convinced, and and a sale does look likely this summer, with his current loan club Borussia Dortmund reportedly interested in a deal.

Fabrizio Romano has reported: “Borussia Dortmund will open talks with Chelsea to keep Carney Chukwuemeka also next season. Deal conditions to be discussed again, but BVB wanna try to keep Carney at the club after 6 month loan.”

Chelsea signed Chukwuemeka for Aston Villa in a deal worth around £20million, and they have already managed to reclaim around £2million in the form of a loan fee paid by Dortmund for this season. The midfielder is still under contract at Chelsea until 2028, and the Blues should be able to demand a good fee, with previous reports suggesting an asking price of £40million. That could go some way in funding a deal for Ekitike, taking the edge of what would be a huge fee to pay.

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