One striker looks desperate to join Chelsea this summer.
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His predecessor, Mauricio Pochettino, finished last season with just one natural striker in his squad, Nicolas Jackson.
That is unlikely to be enough for Chelsea next term if they want to qualify for the Champions League.
To help ease the burden on Jackson, they could turn to one of their Premier League rivals.
Chelsea have recruited a lot of players from within the Premier League recently.
For example, last summer, they signed both Moises Caicedo and Robert Sanchez from Brighton & Hove Albion. They could now raid another English top-flight club.
According to the Daily Mirror (page 72, 09/06/2024), Chelsea retain an interest in Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran after targeting him in the January transfer window.
The same publication has also claimed that Duran has instructed his agent to get a deal done, so a move this summer looks more than possible.
Will Chelsea make a move for Jhon Duran this summer?
Right now, Chelsea’s interest in Duran looks to be just that. Their priority for the centre-forward position seems to be RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.
Journalist Simon Phillips has claimed that the Blues have already communicated to Leipzig that they are prepared to activate Sesko’s release clause.
However, there is no guarantee that Chelsea will land the 21-year-old, with Arsenal and Manchester United also said to be keen on him.
Should Sesko end up joining one of those clubs, then Chelsea may decide to go after Duran, who has been described as a “special player” by his current manager Unai Emery.
Duran made 23 appearances for Villa in the Premier League last season, scoring five goals along the way. He scored a brace against Liverpool and one goal versus Manchester City, so he clearly has potential.