Chelsea have been urged to make a move for Cody Gakpo, despite Manchester United 's strong interest in the PSV Eindhoven star.
The Red Devils have been chasing Gakpo ever since Erik ten Hag took over as manager at Old Trafford. They are expected to accelerate their interest in the upcoming January transfer window as Ten Hag continues to overhaul his squad.
But former Premier League and FA Cup winner Glen Johnson believes that Chelsea should now mount their own move for the Netherlands international. Gakpo has been starring at the World Cup, scoring three goals to send the Oranje into the knockout stages.
That form has brought him to Johnson's attention and he has urged the Blues to challenge United for Gakpo's signature. He believes that the 23-year-old could be the missing piece for Graham Potter's squad .
"Cody Gakpo has really caught my eye at the World Cup. It's not easy to score at this level, also the way he reads the game, the way he plays and moves, he looks the real deal," Johnson told FairBettingSites .
"In terms of personnel, Chelsea need Gakpo more than Liverpool. Chelsea have always had fantastic wingers, but they never scored goals, if you don't get in those positions to score goals there's not much point in you being in the team.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Which club should Cody Gakpo join if he leaves PSV Eindhoven? Comment below.
"Gakpo looks like he could do it in the Premier League, he looks like he would burst onto the scene like Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz has for Liverpool."
Johnson also insisted that Gakpo needed to be signed so that Chelsea could finally replace Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian has struggled badly since returning to the Blues for a club-record fee last summer.
He is currently on loan at Inter Milan, but his campaign has been ruined by injuries. Lukaku also suffered an embarrassing exit at the World Cup with Belgium, leading Johnson to believe Chelsea must move him on as soon as possible.
"Chelsea should look to offload Romelu Lukaku permanently. He was terrible at Chelsea and is not looking good now. Maybe Chelsea might feel like they want to wait and see if the situation gets any better, but sometimes things just don't work," he added.
"We all know he can score goals, but he's just not the right fit for Chelsea. Chelsea should look to sell Lukaku now because his price tag goes down every time he plays. The big-hitting clubs won't be falling down hills for him after his time at Chelsea and now after his performance in the World Cup.
"You don't lose your ability overnight, I think Lukaku listens to too many critics around him. You can't be a top player like he was by being mentally fragile, he's probably now paying attention to all the big chances he's missing. The more you think about it, the more nervous you are for your next chance."
