Chelsea could end this transfer window without five of their attackers from last season as the big-name exodus from Stamford Bridge continues.
Thomas Tuchel has made himself clear that certain players don't want to be at the club anymore, and after Romelu Lukaku moved on loan earlier this summer and Timo Werner re-joined RB Leipzig after a disappointing two years in London, more could yet follow.
Not only is Callum Hudson-Odoi looking to move away for his own good, as well as the team's, at least in the short-term, Hakim Ziyech is still keen to revive his career elsewhere. Christian Pulisic had seemed the safest bet to stay, though football.london understands that if Chelsea recouped enough attacking talent into the club, then he would also be available. There are also takers close to home for all of these players, including Pulisic.
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The Athletic are reporting that Erik ten Hag is looking at a shock move for American as a possible addition for his forward line, becoming a loan target for the player. It is also reported that Newcastle, Juventus and Atletico Madrid have all made approaches for the 23-year-old.
Pulisic has fallen out of favour with Tuchel after becoming a bit-part player who is just as commonly used as a makeshift wing-back as a forward. The former-Borussia Dortmund winger has made two appearances, both from the bench, this season but is still on the list of possible outgoings as he looks to find a sharp upturn in form before the winter World Cup.
Given Chelsea have currently only added Raheem Sterling to their forward line, though Armando Broja has returned, their chase for Anthony Gordon makes more sense than it previously did. Whereas a £50m valuation seems steep, Gordon could go on to be that valuable and possess the attributes that make him attractive to Tuchel. Replacing Callum Hudson-Odoi, who the Evening Telegraph report Man United also wanted to sign, as well as Ziyech, is now a more serious concern. Chelsea's current attackers to fill a front three would be Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Sterling and Broja - leaving just one current rotation option.
Chelsea have seen enough of Ziyech and Pulisic to possibly be open to letting them join a Premier League rival - though Ten Hag looks like a man that needs more than Tuchel's attacking outcasts if he is to get close to Chelsea this season. This makes the interest welcome but also pushes the importance of finding new attackers in the remaining fortnight of the window.
Todd Boehly, be it with Gordon, Wilfried Zaha, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or another name, will have to sign at least one more attacker, but probably two. However, on the flip side, it does open up the door for Harvey Vale to be more involved this season. The 18-year-old hasn't been as involved with Tuchel as he might have wanted to be, but that is largely due to the stockpiled attack. His contract is up next summer as well, but if Tuchel is to convince him to stay, then there has never been a better opportunity to bed him into the squad.
Vale has been described by sports performance coach Tom Joyce as "a natural baller, and he makes it look easy. He's dedicated and a really hard worker." The England youth star has already played alongside summer signing Carney Chukwuemeka and has received similar plaudits.
Finally, given the work with Manchester United, is could remain in the realms of possibility that Cristiano Ronaldo is a name that gets discussed in negotiations for some of these players, should they culminate. Ronaldo has lingered as an option for Boehly this summer but isn't one of Tuchel's own choices. However, if moves for Gordon and the rest don't come off, it's not a move that looks impossible.
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