Chelsea striker transfer plan becomes clear amid fresh update on £86m goal-machine

Chelsea have reportedly made a decision over one of their January targets. The Blues have been linked with a number of players again during this window after two years of huge spending.

The Blues have not had it easy this season, struggling to stay within touching distance of the European spots, currently sat ninth and six points outside the top six. Christopher Nkunku has returned in recent weeks, but Chelsea have still been tipped to sign a striker, with Mauricio Pochettino wanting more competition at that end of the pitch.

One player who has been linked recently is Sporting CP frontman and former Coventry City star Viktor Gyokeres. The striker landed a big-money move to Portugal last summer after netting 38 goals in 91 league appearances for Coventry City, and he has hit the ground running in Portugal.

Gyokeres has scored 13 goals in 17 league games so far this season, and those goals have led to talk of an £86million move to Chelsea despite the fact Sporting only paid less than £20million plus a sell-on fee during the summer. The value reported is Gyokeres' release clause, and Sporting are not likely to sell for any less.

But a fresh report from Football Insider claims Chelsea have decided against pursuing a deal for the Sweden international. They say the Blues are not interested in Gyokeres at that price, nor any striker in that price range during this transfer window.

The report claims the Blues are more likely to move for a big-money striker in the summer, although they will likely be up against Arsenal ahead of next summer. Strikers usually cost far more in the January transfer window, and the Blues are going to have to be careful with their FFP figure now that they can't spread out fees over long contracts.