Chelsea have been in contact with Tottenham about signing Harry Kane, according to The Athletic reporter Laurie Whitwell.

The journalist, who is usually pretty reliable, claims that the Blues have “enquired” about the striker, who has scored 296 goals in his senior career.

However, the likelihood of Kane moving to Stamford Bridge is practically zero as it is felt that the prospect of Spurs Chairman Daniel Levy negotiating with Chelsea is almost “impossible.”

Kane has a year left on his contract, and he has also been linked with Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, but it is looking more and more likely that he will run down his current deal and leave on a free transfer next year.

If Kane is not an option, who else are Chelsea looking at?

It appears the Blues are closing in on snapping up Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal, with the London club expected to trigger the Senegalese international’s €35m (£30m) release clause.

However, the expected departures of both Kai Havertz and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang mean manager Mauricio Pochettino will need more reinforcements up front.

Four other striker targets

Pochettino is known to be a fan of Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez and a move for the Argentinian international can’t be ruled out later on in the transfer window if Chelsea manage to raise enough funds through player sales.

The Blues have also been heavily linked with Juventus’s Dusan Vlahovic and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, while they have been keeping close tabs on Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund.

With the exception of Jackson, though, there are no indications as to which player Chelsea will make a concerted effort to sign. Bringing in a new number nine is a top priority for the summer but, from the looks of things, there isn’t yet any certainty about who will be leading the line for the club next season.