There’s growing speculation that Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku might be on the move this summer after recent comments made by his agent in which he stated he will be speaking to the club's new owners about his client's future, admitting there’s a “problem” afoot.
The Belgian striker has been in good recent form, netting twice in his side’s 2-2 draw against Wolves on Saturday before scoring again in Wednesday’s 3-0 win away to Leeds. He is now the Blues' outright top scorer in all competitions with 14 goals.
Despite this, it’s not been a happy return to Chelsea for Lukaku who has struggled to maintain a regular place in Thomas Tuchel’s starting 11.
He went three months without a league start and was also overlooked for his side’s four Champions League knockout round matches this campaign.
Tuchel’s tactics have been attributed as one of the causes of his struggles, and it’s more than possible based on the noises coming out of the Belgian’s camp that he could leave at the end of this campaign.
If he does, Chelsea will be looking for a replacement, but it’s fair to say they’ll be after something slightly different to what Lukaku offered.
The 29-year-old is at his best when he can bully defenders in one against one duels and when he has more space to exploit. Yet Chelsea’s dominance in most matches means such moments are few and far between. And unlike other Chelsea forwards, he’s not particularly versatile or technically proficient.
The Blues will therefore be after a striker who can still score goals on a regular basis, but also have other traits that make them better suited to this Chelsea side. With that in mind, Mirror football has picked out three top strikers that they should target to give them what they need this summer.
Martin Terrier - Rennes - 25
Terrier is a well-rounded attacker who can play a number of different positions comfortably. At various stages during his time with Rennes, the six-foot forward has featured as a centre-forward, as a second-striker, as an attacking midfielder and even on the wing.
Last season was his first full campaign with Rennes, he scored an impressive nine league goals while registering a further seven assists. This season though he’s hit whole new levels, netting double that (21), with three games still to go.
Impressively, only two of those goals arrived from the penalty spot and his total of 19 non-penalty league goals can be bettered by just six players from across Europe’s top five leagues.
Jonathan David - Lille - 22
David initially rose to prominence at Gent, playing predominantly in an attacking midfield role. In just two seasons for the Belgian side, he scored 37 goals while registering a further 15 assists. His performances in that time put him on the radar of a number of big European clubs, and it was eventually Lille who made the move in the summer of 2020.
The 22-year-old didn’t take long to adjust to his new surroundings, scoring 13 goals in his first season and netting 14 already in this one.
The goals have dried up of late and he’s without one since mid-March, however his performances have still been strong in that period and it seems only a matter of time before he gets back on track.
Victor Osimhen - Napoli - 23
After impressing with French side Lille, Napoli swooped in for Victor Osimhen in the summer of 2020. The 23-year-old hit the ground running in Italy and has so far scored 27 goals across 60 appearances.
That highlights how efficient Osimhen is as a goalscorer yet there are other facets to his game that add to his appeal. One of these is his size. He stands at 6ft1 and has an outstanding leap on him, making him a real asset from set-pieces and crossing situations.
Despite his size, he’s extremely mobile and more than able to adequately lead a line, run onto through balls, link play or close down opposition defenders when his side are pressing without the ball.
