Chelsea are “actively working” on recruiting another forward following the injuries sustained by Carney Chukwuemeka and Christopher Nkunku, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Chukwuemeka hobbled off in the 3-1 defeat to West Ham on Sunday and Romano has confirmed the Blues are expected to sign a “creative player” who can fill in:

“I can tell you that they are already actively working to bring in at least one more player in [an] offensive position, a creative player. We know Nkunku is injured, also Carney [Chukwuemeka] today had an injury so it’s important for Chelsea to do something in that position, to add one more player…now the process is internal to find the right player.”

With a deal for Crystal Palace’s Michael Olise having collapsed, there has been suggestions that Chelsea may reignite their interest in Ajax’s Mohammed Kudus but Romano says that is not likely at this stage:

“For sure, they will do something in that position after the injury situation. Many are asking about Mohammed Kudus’s situation but the last contact between Chelsea and Mohammed Kudus was at the beginning of August so now it is almost 20 days (or a bit less than this) that they are not speaking, between Kudus and Chelsea side.”

What other transfer targets could Chelsea consider?

Lyon’s Bradley Barcola has been mentioned as a potential alternative to Olise and Kudus, but the Frenchman is said to have prioritised a move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Barcola’s teammate, Rayan Cherki, has been suggested as an alternative. However, there have been question marks about his attitude.

Rennes winger Jeremy Doku is also thought to be on the Blues’ radar but there is a feeling that Manchester City are the frontrunners to secure the Belgian international’s signature. For the time being then, there isn’t a clear favourite, with the club currently considering all options.