Despite Todd Boehly wanting to bolster positions all over the Chelsea squad, it seems that the centre forward spot is a priority.
Plenty of strikers have been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, notably Benjamin Sesko, who signed a new contract at RB Leipzig this week.
The latest rumour includes Jhon Duran from Aston Villa, but he wouldn’t exactly just walk into Enzo Maresca’s best team from the get-go.
There is another target for the Blues but Chelsea could repeat their Romelu Lukaku howler by signing him.
Chelsea’s search for a new striker
According to a report from journalist Graeme Bailey, Chelsea "have an interest" in signing Dominic Solanke.
It’s mentioned that in the last few weeks the Blues have enquired about the striker, who left the club after rejecting a new contract back in 2017.
The English ace could be on the move this summer, with his current side Bournemouth now thinking he may leave before next season.
Solanke does have a release clause in his contract, which currently stands at £65m but only for the big six, which obviously includes Chelsea.
Why Solanke could be a Lukaku repeat
It’s fair to say that Solanke’s performance throughout the 2023/24 campaign was simply spectacular for a striker who played for a mid-table side.
The former Liverpool ace provided reliability, availability, a continuous threat, and most importantly, goals, over his 38 Premier League appearances.
Solanke was one of the deadliest finishers in the division, scoring an impressive 19 goals, which is the same number as Ollie Watkins and more than Mohammed Salah, who netted 18.
However, Chelsea knew all along that one day he’d turn into a fantastic Premier League player, as before he left, he won the Chelsea Academy Player of the Year, scoring 31 goals and providing 12 assists in 33 games during 2014/15.
Matches
36
38
Goals
24
19
Scoring frequency
120 min
175 min
Shots (per game)
2.7
2.9
Big chances missed
19
14
However, Solanke’s level of output last season is somewhat similar to what Lukaku produced the year before Chelsea re-signed him for £97.5m.
Both strikers would join for a large fee off the back of impressive goal-scoring campaigns, but the former Manchester United ace’s second stint at the club has been a disaster, packed off on various loan spells after scoring just eight league goals in 2021/22.
Falling out with Thomas Tuchel during that ill-fated first season, the 31-year-old has spent the last two years on loan in Italy at Inter and Roma, and right now, his future doesn’t belong at the Blues.
Lukaku isn’t included in the plans for the future, and Boehly will look to move him on this summer as a priority, with clubs from Italy and Saudi Arabia both keen.
Therefore, there’s the concern that a similar outcome could occur with Solanke, as re-signing an ex-player always comes with risks attached, and Lukaku’s impending departure is evidence of that.
Although the Cherries attacker was “superb” last campaign, as dubbed by football scout Jacek Kulig, he’s not proven to be quite as reliable a finisher as the Belgian, as shown by the fact he netted ten goals in 96 PL appearances prior to last season.
Overall, there’s no doubt that Solanke is a quality striker, but is he really the type of player that’s going to take Chelsea to the next level?
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