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:
Jonathan David
One of the most well-traveled youngsters in world football kicks off the list of the Blues’ desired attacking additions. Jonathan David was born in Brooklyn, New York before his family moved to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, when he was just a couple of months old. A few years later, the Davids settled down in Ottawa. He has now called Canada his home—even if he is away from home during football season—for 16 years, and he represents the country at the international level.
David’s career began at the youth ranks in the North American nation before he took his talents to Belgium at the age of 18. He burst onto the scene in 2018 at Gent. The young forward’s prolific return during his early years in professional football earned him a move to Ligue 1 after two years in the Jupiler Pro League. He joined Lille for around €30 million, leaving Belgium with a return of 37 goals and 15 assists across 83 matches.
The Canadian international led the line for Les Dogues in 37 league matches in his debut season. His 13 goals and three assists went on to play a huge role in Lille besting Paris Saint-Germain by one point for its first Ligue 1 title in a decade. David went on to score one of the two title-clinching goals against Angers. It was an eventful first season in the red, navy and white of the legendary French club for the youngster, who made quite the name for himself.
Just one year removed from bursting onto the scene, David has become a household name for his incredible goalscoring record for both club and country. In addition to helping Canada qualify for its first FIFA World Cup since 1986, David has become one of Europe’s most sought after strikers ahead of this summer’s transfer window. While Lille’s performance has dropped, the 22-year-old has only built on the show he put on in his first season.
David has found the back of the net 19 times across 48 games in all competitions this season, an improvement from his first full campaign in the French top flight. He’s become a transfer target for massive clubs around Europe, such as Chelsea and Manchester United. The forward’s raw talent and versatility are two of the biggest selling points for interested parties. David played over 20 games this season both as a lone forward and a second striker. It’s this flexibility that has Tuchel licking his lips as he continues to create a tactical gameplan for next season.
The Lille No. 9 may not be the biggest name on the market, nor is he the most talented. However, the exciting prospect is a very good finisher whose ceiling is sky high. David’s transfer value also currently sits around the £40 million mark, so a move for the Canadian wouldn’t break the bank either. If the Blues are going to bring in any new striker though, they need to first sort out how they will create chances for these established goalscorers.
Ousmane Dembele
Chelsea needs to create more chances for its forwards—it’s as simple as that. The club willingly invested £97.5 million into bringing a world class goalscorer to Stamford Bridge last summer with Lukaku, and to say he’s been underwhelming would be an understatement. The blame doesn’t all fall on the No. 9 though, the Blues simply need to get more creative inside the 18-yard box. Luckily, the next name on the wishlist seems to be the most realistic option of all of Chelsea’s shortlisted options up front.
Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele was at the forefront of every attacking conversation just a few seasons ago when he made the switch to the Camp Nou following back-to-back successful campaigns in France and Germany. He commanded a transfer fee in excess of £115 million after add-ons and just five years later, he is available for free.
The Blues represent one of the most realistic landing spots for Dembele for numerous reasons. First, the Frenchman was at his very best when working with the current Chelsea boss. Tuchel turned Dembele into one of the most lethal wide threats in all of world football in 2016/17. The talented prospect blossomed into an attacking phenom across the 49-game season when he scored 10 goals and tacked on 21 assists. Unfortunately, injuries have prevented him from reaching his best again during his five seasons in Spain.
If Dembele can stay healthy though, he’s one of the best chance creators in Europe. The Barcelona winger played in just over half (21) of his side’s matches in La Liga this season. Despite this, he ranked third in the Spanish top flight for big chances created with 13, trailing only Karim Benzema and Iker Muniain. He topped the charts for assists, as well, with 13 to his name. Dembele did manage just one goal in that period, but a proven goalscorer isn’t exactly what the Blues need right now. They need to create more and better opportunities for their strikers. It goes without saying the 25-year-old would undoubtedly help out in this department.
He’s succeeded in three of Europe’s top five leagues already throughout his young career. Factor that in with the aforementioned reality that Tuchel got the best out of him and there is little doubt he’d be a hit with Chelsea. The Blues are locked in a battle for the Frenchman’s signature right now, but there is a very real possibility that this free transfer could happen in the coming weeks.
Lautaro Martinez
The newest addition (and The Athletic’s contribution to this list) to Chelsea’s wishlist is Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez. Martinez has been one of the most talked about transfer targets amongst European giants for the last few seasons following his breakthrough onto the scene in Italy. The former Racing Club youth star has made quite a name for himself recently as he’s become one of Serie A’s most best goalscorers.
The 24-year-old is a high risk, high reward prospect though. The Argentine international is seen as the natural successor to Sergio Aguero. He’s short (5-foot-9), pacey and he has the technical skills in front of goal necessary to compete with the best of them. Martinez has excelled at Inter Milan playing essentially as a second striker in every season though. He first showed up on the radar of other big clubs when his contributions helped Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan team win the Scudetto for the first time in 11 years back in 2020/21.
There are questions about whether or not he could lean a line by himself, but if there was any manager that could utilize his untraditional skillset as a lone striker, it’s Tuchel. The German has succeeded throughout his managerial career most when he has versatile forwards, the best examples being Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Dortmund and Kylian Mbappe at Paris Saint-Germain. If the gaffer is convinced Martinez is needed to turn this ship around, don’t be surprised to see the Blues inquire about the £60 million man.
It’s no secret that Martinez is at his best when partnered with a more traditional No. 9 though. Luckily for Chelsea, it already has the more expensive half of the legendary Inter Milan title-winning strike partnership in its ranks. The Blues split up the duo of Lukaku and Martinez last summer when they forked over a club record fee to bring the Belgian back to the Bridge. Thus, if they were planning on keeping him around, a move for Martinez would make a lot of sense.
Martinez’s numbers speak for themselves though. He’s managed 21, 19 and 25 goals in all competitions over the last three seasons, including 21 goals and three assists in Serie A this year. Inter seems to have dug itself out of the financial hole it was in last season—a £97.5 million sale will tend to relieve some of the pressure—so it’s in no rush to offload Martinez. Therefore, any move for the Argentine would be a hefty financial commitment for yet another forward in the summer, the Blues’ third such move in as many seasons.
Christopher Nkunku
There must be something in the water in Leipzig—Red Bull, perhaps? The 13-year-old club has pumped out one young talent after another, especially in the attack. This is something Chelsea knows about all too well after it paid nearly £50 million to the Bundesliga’s newest giant two summers ago to acquire the services of Timo Werner. While the German forward may be one of the individuals out the door this season, that doesn’t seem to be deterring the Blues from dipping into the talent goldmine that is RB Leipzig yet again.
Christopher Nkunku hasn’t advanced through the Red Bull “academy” system like other players have, but he—like Werner—has really found his footing at Leipzig after playing top flight football elsewhere. Whereas Werner got his start with Stuttgart, Nkunku burst onto the scene as a teenager after progressing through the youth ranks at PSG. Things didn’t exactly work out in the French capital, but he’s now turned into one of the most sought after strikers of the summer due to his growth as a professional during his time with Leipzig.
Nkunku has slowly progressed further up the pitch throughout the last three years in Germany. His first season saw him play all over—namely as an attacking, central, left and right midfielder, a winger on both sides and a second striker. The French international netted just five goals, but added an impressive 16 assists during his debut campaign with Leipzig.
Nkunku got his first crack at center forward during his sophomore season. Naturally, his goal tally went up and his assist numbers went down. He recorded seven goals and 11 assists, playing mostly as an attacking midfielder, and occasionally as a second striker and center forward. The departure of Marcel Sabitzer to Bayern Munich saw Nkunku deployed mainly as a talisman up front during the last season. He turned into one of Europe’s most prolific attacking forces under the management of Domenico Tedesco, netting 35 goals and adding 20 assists in 51 matches.
These elite numbers have earned him a near-£60 million price tag as some of the continent’s most prestigious powerhouses begin to circle around Leipzig, waiting to secure his signature. The 24-year-old has continued to display tremendous growth throughout every year of his young career. It doesn’t seem anyone is going to sit around and wait for his next breakout season to come and go. Will Chelsea be able to sign Nkunku after selling some of its current attackers? Only time will tell what the future holds for the Frenchman.
Darwin Nunez
Nkunku is undoubtedly one of the most popular names bouncing around the walls of the transfer market, but he is not the hottest new commodity. There is one fresher face beginning to appear in the dreams of Europe’s elite technical directors: Darwin Nunez. Nunez has only been able to rent a car around Portugal—where he plays his football—for about a year, but you’re never too young to command a transfer fee of over £60 million.
Nunez played his early football in his home country of Uruguay before moving to Spain’s La Liga 2 with Almeria. It was here that he registered his first massive season in professional football, finding the back of the net 16 times in the span of 30 games. Benfica noticed the young forward two years ago and took a chance on him. Despite having never played a top flight professional game outside of a handful in Uruguay, the Portuguese giants slotted him right into the team after his fantastic 2019/20 season in Spain’s second division. Nunez cost Benfica a club-record £20 million, which was seen as a huge gamble for a relatively unproven player. However, it’s about to earn the club one of its largest sales ever, behind only Joao Felix and maybe Ruben Dias.
The 22-year-old Uruguayan enjoyed a decent debut campaign in Liga NOS with five goals and 10 assists in 28 games. He did excel in other competitions that season though, finishing the year with 25 total goal contributions (13 goals, 12 assists) across 2,600+ minutes of football with As Aguias. While that’s undoubtedly a decent return, he really came into his own, establishing himself as an elite striker at the start of the recently concluded campaign.
Nunez not only excelled in the Portuguese top division (26 goals and four assists in 28 games), but also the Champions League (six goals in 10 games). The young striker finished the season with 34 goals in 41 games. That’s a very good return all things considered, which becomes eye-popping when analyzing his minutes. Nunez played just 2,821 minutes in total, which translates to a goal every 83 minutes he played, one of the best on the continent this season amongst strikers who played that many contests.
This prolific return has seen Nunez attract a lot of attention over the last few months. Premier League giants Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and even Tottenham are all said to have shown interest in the target man this summer. He’s been closely linked with the Red Devils, but Sadio Mane’s pending departure from Merseyside could change the narrative in this saga. The Blues can be seen as an outside contender, but should Lukaku depart, they’ll likely elevate themselves into the conversation.
Raheem Sterling
David is the unknown. Dembele is the plausible. Martinez is the wild card. Nkunku is the hot commodity. Nunez is the new kid. That leaves just one name, Raheem Sterling. Sterling? He’s the familiar face. The rumors linking Chelsea and Real Madrid to the Manchester City man have split opinions amongst fanbases. He’s one of the most divisive figures in English football, which is a relatively puzzling reality considering he’s been one of the best wingers in the Premier League ever since Pep Guardiola took over on the sky blue side of Manchester.
In addition to being the most familiar player on this list to many football supporters, Sterling is the oldest option. The 27-year-old has been around the block a few times, playing in the Premier League for the last 11 seasons with Liverpool and Man City. He was a decent player at the start of his career on Merseyside as he showed flashes of greatness without consistency. But he’s grown into a borderline world class winger over the last few years with the Citizens.
Sterling is one of the two prescriptions that the doctor ordered for the Blues this offseason. He’s a goalscoring threat from out wide, which—in addition to a creative midfielder or winger—is exactly what Tuchel’s side needs to improve up front. Sterling has been involved in 122 goals (78 goals, 44 assists) over the last five seasons, which is significantly better than that of any current Chelsea winger. To put that into perspective for some Blues supporters, if you took Eden Hazard’s best season with the club (16 goals, 15 assists in the Premier League) and multiplied it by five, you’d get just 33 more goal contributions (155). Sterling has been consistently fantastic.
However, Guardiola recently added £100 million signing Jack Grealish to his ranks and the arrival of Julian Alvarez will see some minutes split out wide. Sterling’s playing time already decreased last season, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see him move this summer. If he does, the Blues are said to be first in line for a player that they’ve been interested in for years. Seeing as he has just 12 months remaining on his current contract, this signing must be put up there with Dembele as the likeliest to happen on this list. Time will tell, but if either side starts to rock the boat, Chelsea will be there to offer a steady ship for Sterling’s future sailing.
Which one of these forwards would you like to see at Stamford Bridge next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!