Chelsea have endured a frustrating transfer window thus far, with Antonio Conte’s side failing to get any significant deals over the line- whilst watching their Premier League rivals secure crucial additions.
Manchester City have added the likes of Bernardo Silva to their ranks whilst Liverpool have snatched former Chelsea winger Mohamed Salah from Roma- but the biggest move came from Arsenal yesterday, who broke their transfer record to land Alexandre Lacazette from Lyon.
Chelsea are due to begin their pre-season campaign imminently and, as it stands, the Blues’ squad is set to be weaker than the team who won the Premier League last season- following the losses of Nathan Ake and John Terry, whilst Nemanja Matic and Diego Costa are closing in on exits of their own.
Antonio Conte’s side are under pressure to make moves in the market, especially ahead of their return to the Champions League next season, and the news that Manchester United are looking to hijack a deal for prime Chelsea target Romelu Lukaku is a huge concern.
Italian boss Conte is keen to bring the Belgian striker back to Stamford Bridge, with Diego Costa set to seal a return to Atletico Madrid imminently, and the lack of top-class strikers on the market means the Blues cannot afford to miss out.
Both Chelsea and Manchester United are desperately chasing a top-class striker this summer, with the Red Devils having lost Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but the fact that Jose Mourinho let Lukaku leave during his spell in charge of Chelsea may give the Blues the advantage.
Conte is reported to be frustrated by Chelsea’s lack of movement in the market and the fact that the Italian boss has been linked with an exit means that the Blues cannot afford to let their manager’s frustrations continue- which means the Blues have to go for broke.
A world-record fee may be needed to persuade Everton into a deal, with the Toffees reportedly demanding an audacious £100m, and Manchester United would be able to part with that cash- so Chelsea need to flex their own financial muscles.
It’s also important for Chelsea to complete a deal in order to avoid the previous mistakes they’ve endured by letting a young talent leave Stamford Bridge prematurely, as Kevin De Bruyne has returned as a superstar for Manchester City and Salah could follow in the same footsteps for Liverpool.