REPORT: Chelsea Table £12.6m Offer For 18 Goal Championship Striker

Chelsea have made a €15m (£12.6m) bid for Brentford forward Ollie Watkins, according to TodoFichajes.com. The Spanish website claims that the Blues have identified the 24-year-old as the player to replace Olivier Giroud.

Watkins has been in excellent form this season, having scored 18 goals in 28 appearances in the Championship for the Bees. Sheffield United are also reportedly interested in the forward but it is surprising to see Frank Lampard’s side go for a player who is unproven at the top level.

It remains to be seen whether TodoFichajes‘s report is accurate. You have to wonder whether a Spanish site would have the inside track on a transfer between two English clubs but it must be said that Lampard is not afraid to give young English talent an opportunity.

Watkins was ostensibly a winger before he was converted into a striker by Brentford boss Thomas Frank at the start of the campaign, and it may be that his flexibility in playing right across the front three has influenced Chelsea’s decision to pursue him.

Whether his signing would excite the fans, though, it seems doubtful, with the likes of Lyon’s Moussa Dembele and RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner having previously been linked with a switch to Stamford Bridge.