Chelsea have reportedly held talks over the signing of a £50 million Premier League winger.
Mauricio Pochettino is looking to add another forward to this new-look squad, after Crystal Palace’s Michael Olise turned down a move to West London to sign a new deal at Selhurst Park.
Now, the Evening Standard claims that Chelsea are speaking to Nottingham Forest regarding signing their highly-rated young forward Brennan Johnson, in a deal which could mean another hefty financial outlay for the Stamford Bridge outfit.
Johnson shone in his first Premier League campaign after helping Steve Cooper’s side to promotion, playing in all 38 games last season and scoring eight goals as the Reds pulled clear of the relegation spots.
With 10 goals in all competitions, Johnson’s performances have brought him to the attention of bigger clubs, although any swap deal involving Chelsea’s Trevor Chalobah appears to be off the table after the defender rejected a move to the City Ground, according to the report. Brentford have already had what would have been a club-record fee of £35m turned down, which means Chelsea will likely have to go over the £40m mark to sign the winger.
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Johnson remains on a long-term contract at the club with his deal not set to expire until 2026, but after spending heavily themselves over the past 12 months, Forest might be tempted to try and balance the books somewhat.
Chelsea meanwhile have already spent transfer fees on eight summer signings so far under Pochettino, with Southampton’s Romeo Lavia the latest after agreeing a fee of £53m with the Saints.
This followed in the footsteps of a £100m+ deal to sign Brighton’s Moises Caicedo, while the likes of Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku and Axel Disasi, among others, have also been signed for big money so far this transfer window. With the deadline now just two weeks away for all Premier League clubs, Chelsea face a race against time to prize away one of Forest’s main assets when it comes to surviving another Premier League season.
Johnson is valued by Transfermarkt to be worth €38m.
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Having already signed Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson in attack, the Blues have been linked with a sensational swoop for Kylian Mbappe. The two-time European champions are still trying to offload Romelu Lukaku, though, with the striker thought to favour a move to Juventus.
