Forget Osimhen and Toney - Chelsea have a much smarter striker transfer target in their sights

Chelsea have wasted no time getting stuck into this summer’s transfer market as they look to power towards a much stronger 2024/25 Premier League season. The Blues managed to claw a sixth-place finish earlier this year, which was a huge improvement from coming 12th in the season prior, with just 44 points on the board.

Chelsea have already welcomed the arrivals of Marc Guiu and Tosin Adarabioyo, and have since added Omari Kellyman and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to the ranks as well. Following the departure of Mauricio Pochettino, the Blues are headed for a new era at Stamford Bridge and they aren’t done with their summer business yet either.

Chelsea are on the market for another new centre-forward. Guiu joins the ranks as a promising 18-year-old who will be looking to learn and flourish at his new club. He is not yet a polished product ready to be challenging for a spot in Enzo Maresca’s starting lineup, so Chelsea continue to look for a new marquee signing in attack.

Victor Osimhen and Ivan Toney are two big names on Chelsea’s radar right now but as two in-demand players, it’s not going to be an easy mission. Brentford are eager to keep hold of Toney but they will not sell him for less than £60 million, according to talkSPORT. The England star is also being linked with Arsenal and Manchester United, so the fight for his signature will not be easy.

As for Osimhen, he remains a player attracting interest from a number of clubs but no approaches have been made. Amid the lack of interest coming their way, Napoli have reportedly reduced their asking price from €150 million (£127m) to €100 million (£84m), according to Calciomercato.

There are plenty of other names who have piqued Chelsea’s interest though, and if they are trying to approach the window cautiously, or keep funds for other signings, this one could be a smart piece of business. Last month, reports linked Chelsea with interest in Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who endured another tough season on Merseyside as they narrowly escaped relegation for the third year running.

Calvert-Lewin has been a key part of Everton’s side but his goalscoring efforts have often been overshadowed by the Toffees’ struggles. He has also had bad luck with injuries in recent years, so the club have not seen the best of him on a regular basis. According to journalist Joel Bland last month, an asking price of £20 million has been mentioned for Calvert-Lewin, as Newcastle United have also emerged as fans of his.

The 27-year-old is now into the final 12 months of his contract and Everton, who are desperate to avoid any further profit and sustainability breaches, could be talked round into selling for a further cut price. Has Calvert-Lewin been performing as influentially as the likes of Toney, Osimhen and Dominic Solanke? No, but for a fee potentially less than £20 million, Chelsea would be bringing in an experienced striker who has performed well even without a great deal of creative support at times. The Blues do also still have Nicolas Jackson, who only joined the club last summer and is still finding his feet with his new side.

It would be extremely hasty of Chelsea to jump feet first into the market for an expensive striker who will undoubtedly expect to start every match, while Jackson is still very much involved in the future plans. Signing someone Calvert-Lewin who can operate as back-up but also provide healthy competition for Jackson would be a smarter and probably less stressful approach than forking out between £60-80 million for an in-demand striker.