Chelsea have decided to “pull out” of the race to sign Atletico Madrid striker Samu Omorodion, according to Marca.
The Spanish newspaper claims that the Blues have given up their pursuit of the Spanish Under 21 international, having had their first bid rejected.
Their initial offer was worth around £34m plus add-ons but subsequent reports have confirmed that Atletico want over double that amount, with a fee closer to £70m being needed.
Enzo Maresca’s side have, therefore, decided that it is not worth persisting with their attempts to secure Omorodion’s signature.
Chelsea are targeting two other forwards instead
Marca report that the Blues have now switched their focus to Lille’s Jonathan David and Borussia Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi, going as far as to say that they have offered “seven-year contacts” to both players.
Whether there is any truth in that, we shall have to wait and see, but the London club have been credited with an interest in the pair by multiple different sources.
They will face fierce competition for both David and Adeyemi
Having faced insurmountable obstacles in their efforts to sign Omorodion, there will also be challenges in snapping up Chelsea’s two alternative targets.
In terms of finances, David is expected to be pretty cheap. The Canadian international has less than a year left on his contract and Lille are only likely to demand around €25m (£21m).
However, the forward also has plenty of suitors, with West Ham, Manchester United and Tottenham having been linked with the player.
When it comes to Adeyemi, the German would be slightly more expensive at €30m (£25m), and there is competition from the likes of Liverpool, Juventus and AC Milan. It means the Blues will need to be decisive if they want to buy either of them,
