According to Inside Futbol, reporting via Gazzetta dello Sport, AC Milan have made Alvaro Morata their top target for this transfer window.
Morata only joined Chelsea last summer from Juventus, and made a bright start to life in London. As the season wore on though, Morata’s form wavered, his goals dried up, and his confidence looked to evaporate.
The Blues brought in Olivier Giroud from Arsenal in January and now the Spaniard’s time at Stamford Bridge could well be over already.
New Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri will be considering his replacement options, with Gonzalo Higuain one of the obvious choices. The Argentine is far from the only candidate they should be thinking about, though.
Since his conversion from a wide player to striker a couple of seasons ago, Mertens hasn’t looked back. At 31-years-old, and having scored 56 goals in 95 appearances across his last two campaigns with Napoli, the Belgian may now consider the time right for a new challenge in his career.
A new challenge would certainly be leading the line for the Blues, but it is one that Mertens is capable of rising to.
Transfermarkt’s valuation of £27 million for Mertens though, at 31 and with no Premier League pedigree, may put Sarri off.
A younger, costlier, yet no less exciting option would be RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner.
Last season the 22-year-old confirmed himself as an elite level striker in the Bundesliga, netting 21 times in all competitions and earning the right to lead the line for Germany at the World Cup.
Despite a tricky summer, Werner remains one of the most exciting finishers in Europe. His potential is huge and he is already performing at a very high level – making Werner a player for the present and the future.
This exciting status is reflected in his Transfermarkt valuation of £54 million, which may put him beyond Chelsea’s reach in the current climate.
The Dutchman is almost certainly the most affordable option on this list, but also the biggest gamble in terms of quality.
His record is not in doubt. For Sporting Lisbon, the 29-year-old has scored 70 times in 90 appearances across two seasons. He has also been prolific in the Bundesliga and the Eredivisie previously. It remains to be seen whether or not he could translate that form into the Premier League arena though.
The 6’5” forward would provide the Blues with a true target man figure, capable of capitalising on the service of Hazard and Willian and finishing those chances ruthlessly.
Transfermarkt value him at £19.8 million and he is worth that financial roll of the dice.
