Lack of Champions League football next season costs Chelsea as £28m man rejects offer
Chelsea’s mediocre season will see them achieve a mediocre, mid table finish. The Blues can at best, achieve an 11th placed finish this season. As a consequence, Chelsea will not play any European football next term. This has come back to haunt CFC as Marcus Thuram isn’t keen on moving to Stamford Bridge.
The Blues are in search of a striker as they look to bolster their frontline. The lack of a reliable striker this term was one of the biggest reasons for Chelsea’s attacking woes this season. CFC have scored just 36 goals this term, which if the sixth lowest goal tally in the league.
CFC have been linked with a number of strikers like Victor Osimhen of Napoli, Dusan Vlahovic of Juventus and Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur. Chelsea have also been attentive to the free agent market and have been keeping an eye on Borussia Monchengladbach’s Thuram.
Marcus Thuram rejects a move to Chelsea
Thuram’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season and the decision has been made that the Frenchman will leave the Bundesliga club. Thuram has played 31 games this season and netted 16 goals with 13 of them coming in the Ligue 1. The 25 year old has admirers across Europe. Apart from Chelsea, there is Atletico Madrid, Manchester United and Inter Milan keeping an eye on the Frenchman.
Signing Thuram would be a win-win deal for CFC as they would be able to bring in a versatile forward with an impressive goalscoring record that too on a Bosman deal. Signing a £28m rated forward for free would be a relatively low risk signing that solves a key issue in the current squad.
However, Thuram doesn’t intend to join Chelsea. According to French media outlet L’Equipe, the 25 year old has rejected a transfer to Chelsea as the Blues cannot offer him Champions League football next season. Thuram wants to play for a team that can offer him Champions League football and CFC are in no position to do that.
Not being able to offer Champions League football or European football next season could be a major stumbling block in CFC attracting big name strikers to the club, especially when Chelsea’s competitors can offer CL. For any transfer target, the Blues will have to convince them regarding the project to lure them to the club.
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Which striker should Chelsea sign?