There have been many reports about Chelsea pursuing a striker this summer and there are several names that keep on popping up. Football insider Simon Johnson wrote in The Athletic about three in particular that there are strong links to and that Chelsea are “considering” for this next transfer window.
A reader asked Johnson if Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig was an option and he responded that Chelsea “became interested in Sesko three years ago and have been following his progress closely ever since”. Chelsea chose to pass on signing him in 2022 because “he was still a bit too raw” and was on his way to Leipzig from RB Salzburg in a done deal.
Sesko is only 22 years old so would fit with what Chelsea are looking for these days and he has yet to fully hit his prime. The Slovenian international has 17 goals and 6 assists this season in 37 appearances and had a great 2023-24 as well with 18 goals and 2 assists in 42 appearances. FotMob has his transfer value at $57 million which is solid value for his quality.
The other two strikers that Johnson mentions are Jonathan David who is set to be a free agent this summer from Lille and Liam Delap from Ipswich. David is 25 and has scored more than 20 goals for Lille in 3 straight seasons. The fact that he is on a free makes him all the more appealing as Chelsea won’t have to negotiate with a club.
Delap is not a free agent but reportedly has a £40 million release clause if Ipswich get relegated which seems all but assured considering their current position in the table. This is a bit more complicated only because Manchester City have a buy back clause and they could choose to activate it to help bolster their squad.
All three options seem intriguing and Chelsea will have plenty of choices to consider even outside of these stars. They could also opt for the hard pursuit of Alexander Isak or bark up the Samu Omorodion tree once again depending on the type of player they are looking to pursue.
The decision will likely come down to a combination of what traits the player brings to the table and the financial implications considering Chelsea’s new approach. Either way, it is almost a certainty that the Blues will have a new man leading the attack in the 2025-26 season and perhaps even as soon as the Club World Cup in the summer.