Chelsea needs of a lot of help this summer. The takeover saga can finally be put in the rearview mirror as Todd Boehly and Co. are officially the new owners of the Blues. The sanctions surrounding the club have now been lifted with Chelsea finally able to resume business as usual. This means transfer negotiations (both incoming and outgoing) can finally take place once again. The Blues were hit hard the longer these negotiations dragged on. Not only did they get put at a disadvantage compared to other clubs, they also lost at least one key player.
Antonio Rudiger has joined Real Madrid with an announcement coming out early Thursday morning. Furthermore, Andreas Christensen and in all likelihood, Marcos Alonso, are on their way to Barcelona. Cesar Azpilicueta could still join them, as well, depending on how his sit down with the Chelsea hierarchy in the coming days turns out. The midfield—which struggled for consistency all season long—will also require some attention. Jorginho and N’Golo Kante have contracts that expire in one year’s time, Saul is returning to Atletico Madrid and Mateo Kovacic battled injuries for the entirety of the recently concluded campaign. These areas are both pressing issues for Boehly’s Blues in the summer transfer window.
Chelsea’s attacking shortlist revealed ahead of huge summer transfer window
Despite this, there is little attention being actually given to those key places on the pitch. Instead, the names being linked to the reigning Club World Cup Champions in the media are those of forwards—Sevilla centerback Jules Kounde being the one exception. The attacking names are always the sexiest, so this comes as no surprise, especially at the beginning of a big window.
The difference in approach between the two groups (defense/midfield and attack) though is that Chelsea will bring players to fill gaps left in the former regardless. Meanwhile, attacking additions will depend on the outgoings. The reason the Blues’ wishlist is so extensive (five names, according to Fabrizio Romano and Jacob Steinberg, six if The Athletic’s report is to be believed) is because there are a lot of uncertainties as the offseason kicks off.
Both of Chelsea’s natural strikers, Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner, are facing uncertain futures with the duo apparently wanting to depart the English capital. Callum Hudson-Odoi, Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech are also names to watch as the Blues look to back Thomas Tuchel and bring in attackers that fit the style he wants to play. One or two of these players are expected to leave in the coming weeks, it’s just a matter of who and when at this stage.
Seeing as Marina Granovskaia and her crew were late to the party because of sanctions, it’s likely supporters see some of these issues sorted out relatively soon to ensure incoming transfers have enough time to settle in. Given the struggles Lukaku endured after his early season move with no preseason, it wouldn’t be surprising to see most of the transfer business sorted before the friendly festivities begin. The club has planned an eventful preseason tour in the United States, one where it will hope to show off some of its sensational new talent.
Here are the six names (in alphabetical order) on Chelsea’s attacking transfer window wishlist: