Chelsea are expected to be big players in the Erling Haaland sweepstake this summer.
Arguably the most in-demand player in world football right now, Haaland looks set to leave Borussia Dortmund after two outstanding seasons with the German club - scoring 78 goals in 77 games so far.
Haaland's £68million release clause has been well reported with a number of European clubs circling ahead of the summer window.
Although Chelsea spent close to £100million to bring Romelu Lukaku back to the club this past year, the Blues could have a major say on where Haaland ends up.
There is, of course, plenty of competition expected - with Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid, PSG and Bayern Munich all reportedly interested.
Should the Norwegian choose to go elsewhere, Chelsea will likely still be in the market to bring in a centre forward and here are five alternatives to Haaland they could consider.
Arthur Mendonca Cabral - Basel (23)
It’s been a meteoritic rise for Basel’s Cabral. The Brazilian joined the Swiss outfit, initially on loan from South American side Palmeiras, ahead of the 2019/20 season.
His performances during that campaign, netting 16 goals and registering three assists, persuaded Basel to part with £4million to make his move permanent. That now looks a bargain given the goalscoring exploits of the 23-year-old.
This season alone he’s scored a remarkable 27 times across matches both domestically and in Europe. That’s from an xG of 26.67, painting a picture of a reliable goalscorer who gets himself into plenty of good goalscoring positions.
Beyond an eye for goal, he’s got plenty of likeable physical attributes too. He stands at 6ft1in but is mobile and boasts a good technical skillset, able to link well with his teammates in the final third.
Julian Alvarez - River Plate (21)
Although the striker is still just 21 and plying his trade in South America, his standout return of 24 goals and 16 assists in 32 club appearances this season has put him firmly on the radar of Europe’s elite sides.
As has the fact he’s now a fully-fledged Argentinian international.
Best described as a fluid forward, Alvarez’s ability means he can operate anywhere across a front line, yet he is undoubtedly at his most dangerous playing through the middle as a centre-forward.
He’s not the tallest, standing at just 5ft 7in, yet he is tenacious and clever with his movement, working himself into good shooting locations on a regular basis. This point is captured by the fact that he’s averaged 2.85 shots per 90 this season.
Alvarez’s height also gives him a low centre of gravity, aiding his pace and dribbling skill, each of which are standout traits in the young forward.
Ben Brereton Diaz - Blackburn Rovers (22)
Blackburn’s Diaz attracted plenty of attention in the summer after being called up to Chile's national team for Copa America.
He scored only once in the tournament, but the experience no doubt gave him the platform for the outstanding campaign he’s enjoyed so far this season.
The 22-year-old has scored 20 goals for Rovers, that’s 13 more than he managed across the entirety of the last campaign.
It's tough to know for sure whether his boost in goals comes as a result of development or perhaps because he’s simply enjoying a purple patch in front of goal. There may be some of the latter at play, yet that’s still a standout record from a young forward who looks to be coming of age.
Additionally, he looks to be benefited from bringing a more selfish edge to his game.
When compared to last season, Diaz is making fewer progressive runs and passes leading to shots for teammates, but his own output in terms of shots has noticeably increased.
Karim Adeyemi - RB Salzburg (19)
The forward started the 2019/20 season with Salzburg’s feeder club Liefering in the Austrian second division, however his displays with them saw him return to Salzburg’s first team by the time that campaign had concluded.
In his first full season last year, the forward netted an impressive nine goals, whilst also registering a further 11 assists across all competitions. That broke down to a remarkable goals contribution average of 1.39 per 90.
In the league alone, he averaged 0.98 goals per 90 from an xG of 0.8. That signals a decent over-performance based on chances created for him, but not one that you’d consider unsustainable.
That’s a point reaffirmed by the fact that there’s been no big drop off in his output this season, scoring 18 goals in just 25 appearances so far.
Based on Adeyemi’s ability and career path so far, it’s easy to see why he’s been labelled as the next Haaland.
Jonathan David - Lille (22)
David originally rose to prominence for Gent. After arriving from Canada in 2018, the youngster didn’t take long to adapt, netting 37 goals whilst registering a further 15 assists in just two seasons.
His performances for the Belgian side put many top European clubs on high alert, and it was eventually Lille who made the move in the summer of 2020.
Although at Gent David played mostly in an attacking midfield role, he’s been deployed and thrived within a striker position with Lille.
He played a key role in their Ligue 1 title success last season and, despite an inconsistent campaign for the reigning French champions, has still managed to net 16 times for them across all competitions so far.
