Chelsea looking at stop gaps and strikers they cannot afford

Rumors around Chelsea’s striker situation continue to swirl. Many of them have steam, but they are stop gaps or unaffordable targets.

Chelsea’s biggest struggle in the season just gone was goals. While chances created and shots increased, goals evaporated. It is easy to blame the departure of Diego Costa and the lack of production from Alvaro Morata. But the targets Chelsea are looking at are knee jerk at best and unrealistic at worst.

First up is Robert Lewandowski who is attempting to leave Bayern Munich for a new challenge. Lewandowski is one of the best strikers in the world and can have his pick of clubs. With several years on his contract, he will still demand a massive transfer fee, but his age and desire to leave will drop it somewhat.

Paris Saint Germain, Manchester United, and Chelsea have all been linked to the Polish star. The Blues are the team most in need but the transfer would not perfectly suit the Blues.

At 29, Lewandowski has already peaked. He could maintain this level of play for a few more years but he will never improve. His signing would be a stop gap one. It would serve as a temporary bridge between now and whenever the next star striker in Chelsea’s ranks breaks through.

A similar situation played out with Romelu Lukaku at Chelsea. The Blues bought stop gap after stop gap waiting for Lukaku to reach his potential. The Blues ran out of patience, purchased Diego Costa, and Lukaku left Chelsea wondering what happened.

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Another stop gap target linked is Gonzalo Higuain. Juventus are allegedly looking at moving him on and Chelsea are linked because of the Maurizio Sarri rumors.

The reunion angle plays a large part in the rumor, as does the lower price tag Higuain would demand. At 30, he would be another stop gap before a young striker can take his chance.

Both Lewandowski and Higuain, despite their ages and availability, would be expensive. But both would pale in comparison to the price of the other rumor; a transfer for Mauro Icardi.

Icardi would not be a stop gap by any means. He would be a massive super star statement purchase. At 25, his best years are still ahead of him. He would fill the role Diego Costa vacated well and could be the leading man for Chelsea for another five plus years.

Icardi has a 110 million euros release clause. That would blow the club’s current record fee (for Alvaro Morata) out of the water. But it is unlikely to have any truth to it.

Chelsea are in full on penny pinch mode. The Blues will not even pay the release clause for the manager they want because it is “too expensive”. So why would the Blues suddenly splash the cash on any player?

All of these rumors also put a big question mark around Alvaro Morata. Morata struggled in his first season at Chelsea but showed signs of promise. To look for a replacement already is either alarmist or shows that he was poorly scouted. And a new, star striker would surely signal the Spaniards exit. The Blues are incredibly unlikely to even break even on Morata at this point in time.

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But these rumors continue to swirl. The longer they go on, the more believable they become.  Even if they do not mesh with the reality of Chelsea currently.