Here is your Chelsea morning digest on Monday, April 18.
Chelsea backed to sign Aston Villa duo
Former Liverpool striker Stan Collymore has backed Chelsea to potentially sign one of two Aston Villa strikers this summer. It comes as Thomas Tuchel struggles to find his best frontline, with club-record signing Romelu Lukaku failing to live up to expectations so far.
Collymore said, via BirminghamLive : “They should be looking for a 22-year-old or 23-year-old somewhere in Europe. If not, then maybe [Ollie] Watkins, or even his Villa strike partner [Danny] Ings, if they're happy to go older.
"Because that kind of player would score 20 to 25 goals in that team and those goals would take Chelsea a big, big step closer to what they want to achieve.”
READ MORE: Thomas Tuchel sends message to next Chelsea owners after Reece James and Mason Mount question
Erling Haaland boost
Chelsea have been handed a potential boost in their reported pursuit of Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland. That’s because Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn has ruled the Bavarian club out of the race for the Norwegian.
"We wouldn't be doing our job properly if we didn't look at a young striker like him," the Bayern CEO said to Sport1. "He's an excellent forward, and a highly interesting player for the future. But the financial dimensions are beyond our imagination."
Read more here.
Chelsea gives Mateo Kovacic injury update
Chelsea boss Tuchel has given an update on the fitness of Mateo Kovacic after the Croatian midfielder was substituted in the first-half of the FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace. He was withdrawn mid-way through the first-half against the Eagles to be replaced by Ruben Loftus-Cheek - the opening goalscorer.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, the German said: “When Kova [Kovacic] comes off, you know that he is in pain. The ankle is swollen, it’s a huge ankle right now. So let’s hope. It doesn’t look so good but we will wait for the examination and we can tell you more.”
Read every word he had to say here.
