Chelsea's need for a new striker is no new story. It has been a matter plaguing the club for years going back to their last true title charge in 2016/17. Since then they haven't had a single player score more than 16 goals, a striker get over 15 or a reliable source for them throughout.
They have tried all sorts of models. The European big club hot shot, Alvaro Morata. The experienced pro coming in to save the day, Gonzalo Higuain. The academy lad making his way, Tammy Abraham. The speedster and transition king, Timo Werner. The one that couldn't fail, Romelu Lukaku. The false nine, Kai Havertz. The overage, past it manager's favourite, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Chelsea fans would be excused for being nervous at the very thought of splashing even more cash on another player deemed to be able to give them the release of goals that all those beforehand have promised. Heading into this summer and there isn't a choice.
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They finally look set to rid themselves of one of the most expensively assembled group of flops ever constructed going forward with Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic and Havertz all potentially on their way out, following Werner last year. Aubameyang is almost certain to follow them.
Chelsea are preparing to hit the reset button and now need to find the right person to lead the line for Mauricio Pochettino. There is no easy answer, though. Strikers are the most valuable commodity in world football and good ones, let alone great ones, don't grow on trees.
Investing heavily in a centre-forward is one of the biggest gambles and it's one that cannot be avoided. The previous regime had their hits and their flops. Didier Drogba and Diego Costa are two of the best in the club's modern history but either side of them came Fernando Torres, Alexandre Pato and Radamel Falcao.
For Pochettino to work next year he will need to add someone as close to a surefire success as possible, but they don't really exist. In the wrong environment almost any player can struggle. Harry Kane has had his own dips in form in recent years but showed the hot-cold nature of it by firing in plenty to make that a forgettable memory.
He is the obvious answer to the problems. In Tottenham's worst season since before Pochettino was appointed in north London he has still bagged 27 times in the league. His five penalties would make him the third top-scorer at Chelsea. It's already his third best return in a single season with two games left.
He is as close to a banker as there is. Premier League proven, English, known and admired by Pochettino, mature and settled in London. His price tag, set to be well over £100m, is a massive sticking point, as is dealing with Daniel Levy. If Chelsea can get Kane and they do all they can to do so, that still might not be enough.
The other Premier League based option is Ivan Toney. On the face of it he is a very nice looking choice. A 27-year-old with impressive link-up, a well-rounded game, English, experienced and in-form without a track record of too many injuries. The Brentford forward has 20 league goals and four assists for one of the most direct teams in the league.
He is simply waiting for a bigger team to take the risk on him but there are concerns. Firstly, he won't be available until January 2024 after being suspended for eight-months following an FA investigation into breaches of betting rules. It means that any attempts to sign him would either have to be delayed until the winter window or be in the knowledge he cannot play for over half of next season.
The other question is how he would fare in a team that has more possession, less direct play and isn't bent to his will. This is an unanswerable query but one that only time will prove. Toney will surely get a big move sooner or later but whether or not it is to SW6 is another matter.
Thomas Frank says he's worth £100m but the numbers give a different impression. Toney is likely to be much cheaper if or when he does leave and the two-years left on his contract could make that a much more achievable deal to complete for interested parties.
When looking abroad there is one league that provides three options. Serie A has been a happy hunting ground for forwards this year and the progress of Napoli to the Champions League quarter-final allowed a good look at one of the best. Victor Osimhen is set to end the year as the top scorer in Italy and has 23 goals this season.
At 23 he is the youngest player on this five-man list and for that reason also the most valuable. Osimhen is not just a player capable of scoring now but also in 10 years time. His development across France and Italy have seen him become one of the most feared attackers in the game.
His lofty £150m valuation reflects that, even if stubborn president Aurelio De Laurentiis remains determined to keep him regardless. Osimhen is seen as the next player to break the Premier League and his combined ability to everything of a modern day forward suggests that will be the case.
He is powerful in the air but also a lethal finisher and capable of working in tight spaces with tricky forwards. This all makes him suited for Chelsea but Manchester United and Bayern Munich are also interested. The lack of European football could make this one hard to get even if it is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
The next man to be considered is a more well known name for Chelsea fans, especially as he is currently theirs. Lukaku.
The Belgian has started to hit form after a struggle of a loan back at Inter Milan but will now be tasked with helping the 2021 Scudetto champions beat Manchester City in Istanbul. He has managed eight goals this season from 16 starts with yet another injury hit, fitness concerned campaign.
His price, Inter's financial worries and the age of Lukaku all make him one of the players to watch this summer. Just what Chelsea decide to do with him will be a fascinating watch.
Pochettino could, in theory, blitz him with fitness sessions, physically scaping him back into the bullish, transition loving, powerful and complete forward that he has shown to be at times during his career. However, if his body weren't to match up to that then it would leave him isolated.
There is also the small matter of his totally fractured relationship with Chelsea supporters to get past. It is nothing that a positive season in front of goal wouldn't change but should things start badly or slowly then the pressure would be amplified. Lukaku isn't a liked character at SW6 and would need to do much more than most to even come out with an ounce of respect.
He is, as a club asset, the 'cheapest' option so to speak but comes with the biggest baggage.
His teammate Lautaro Martinez is perhaps a nicer fit. Here is an energetic, archetypal Argentinian warrior forward with an eye for goal. Martinez has slipped under the radar for many this year but his performances alongside Edin Dzeko against AC Milan got Europe talking again.
In a far from fluid Inter side, Martinez has 20 goals and five assist in 25 starts. He is still just 25 and has a wealth of top level experience behind him as well as offering the potential to link up with Enzo Fernandez and Pochettino, two of his fellow countrymen.
There are less links between Martinez and Chelsea than the others but he is player that makes sense, at least on paper. Trying to get Inter to split with their younger, more athletic forward in return for an older, more frail model is going to be a tough task but the rewards could be huge.
He was said to be available for around £70m last year, a reasonable fee for such a catch. The issue with him is the risk of failure is higher. £70m on Osimhen offers resale value and another guaranteed big-money move due to his performances.
Martinez would be in the middle ground that Chelsea have found themselves in limbo in too often recently. With an adaption period to English football it is plausible that a 27-year-old star is on the books without much tangible progress.
Worrying about strikers failing before they have joined is quite something to consider but then again it's Chelsea and that is what they have done to people in the past.
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