Chelsea forward Armando Broja has reportedly been ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in a friendly against Aston Villa on Sunday.
The 21-year-old collided with Ezri Konsa during the game in Abu Dhabi before holding his right knee and screaming in pain. Graham Potter admitted in his post-match interview that it didn't look "positive" for Broja and that the injury was an "awkward one".
According to the Evening Standard, the Albanian faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after rupturing his ACL in the 1-0 defeat. It is understood Broja is due to have surgery on his knee to repair the torn ligament, with the forward then set to begin his rehabilitation programme ahead of a return to action, which is some months away.
Broja is expected to miss the remainder of the 2022/23 season, while he could be ruled out for longer depending on how quickly he recovers. The former Southampton loanee made 12 Premier League appearances for Chelsea this term - 10 of them as a substitute - scoring once, following a successful loan spell at Saints.
It is a massive blow for the player and Chelsea, with Potter expected to increase his pursuit of another forward in January. Rafael Leao has emerged as the Blues' reported top target after the Portugal forward impressed in both matches against Chelsea in the Champions League group stage.
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The AC Milan star has struck six goals in 14 Serie A appearances this season and stated last month that he will wait until after the World Cup before having further talks on his future. Portugal were dumped out of the competition on Saturday with a 1-0 defeat by Morocco.
Leao said: "I will speak to AC Milan about my contract situation once the World Cup is over. We had a positive meeting with [technical director] Paolo Maldini before the World Cup, it was a good one - we’ll enter into details after the break."
Leao's Milan teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic has urged the 23-year-old to stay at the club amid rumours linking him with a move to Stamford Bridge in the January transfer window. The youngster also put in a series of excellent substitute appearances at the World Cup, scoring against Ghana and Switzerland, to increase his stock.
Ibrahimovic told La Gazzetta dello Sport of Leao: "Of course, Milan is the right environment for him. Just look at his growth, when he arrived, he was far from the decisive player he is today. Here he is very important for us. Elsewhere, would he be as important? He would have to start from scratch, you can’t be sure he would be ready right away."
Chelsea have also been linked with moves for Napoli's Victor Osimhen, Atletico Madrid's Joao Felix and Tottenham's Harry Kane in recent weeks as Potter looks to bolster his attacking line. Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang is the Blues' only recognised fit centre-forward, although Kai Havertz can play in that position.
