Transfer News: Chelsea shortlist names including Jonathan David and Victor Osimhen to replace Romelu Lukaku
Chelsea can finally start to plan player arrivals for the summer, now that a loan fee has been agreed upon with Inter for the exit of Romelu Lukaku. An overhaul of the squad was expected anyway at Stamford Bridge this summer, and things are likely to pick up pace now.
According to Daily Mail, Chelsea have identified Everton’s Richarlison, Lille’s Jonathan David, Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Sassuolo’s Gianluca Scamacca as the potential candidates to replace the outgoing Belgian.
Everton are apparently open to listen to offers, but are likely to demand in excess of £50million to even consider letting their Brazilian star leave. Richarlison has been the shining light on Merseyside for the Toffees and was influential in their fight for survival last season.
Next in line seems to be Jonathan David. The Canadian’s stock was through the charts after he helped Lille to a shock Ligue 1 title in the 20/21 season, but a 10th place finish last term means that it will be relatively easier to price him away this summer. David has scored 32 goals for Lille in 96 appearances across all competitions.
Napoli’s Victor Osimhen is yet another interesting option. Since his move from Lille in the summer of 2020, the Nigerian has scored 28 times in 62 appearances for Napoli. The Serie A giants invested a club-record €81.3 million to sign Osimhen two years back, meaning that any deal for him is likely to cost a premium on that fee.
And finally, there’s Sassuolo’s Gianluca Scamacca. The 23-year-old’s 16-goal contribution to Sassuolo’s Serie A campaign almost steered them to a top-half finish and while they fell short on goal difference to Torino and finished 11th instead, Scamacca had already done enough to apparently trigger Chelsea’s interest.
Who is the best of the lot for Chelsea?
It is highly advised that Chelsea don’t make an astronomical investment similar to the Lukaku deal last summer, so we can almost certainly rule Osimhen out as a potential arrival.
Scamacca, for all the talent he has, needs to perform and produce numbers similar to last season consistently at the top-level. Hence, it is unlikely that he is the answer for Chelsea’s goal-scoring crisis, at least not yet.
Lille’s Jonathan David sounds like a good idea. Those that have seen him play would know that the Canadian works tirelessly and is capable of pressing off the ball. We have already seen that work wonders in Lille’s Ligue 1 triumph in 20/21, when David forged a formidable partnership with veteran striker Burak Yilmaz.
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And then of course, there’s Richarlison – a player who knows everything about playing in England. Despite his price tag, the Blues will be aware that he is the only name out of the four to have Premier League experience.
There’s also the wild-card option. Should Chelsea decide to give academy starlet Armando Broja a chance, then Thomas Tuchel’s side may not need to splurge big money on any striker at all. It remains to be seen what route we go down on. There is always the option to stick one of Kai Havertz and Timo Werner down the middle on a weekly basis.