Harry Diamond
Chelsea are considering several forwards to bolster their attacking options ahead of the January transfer window, with Red Bull Leipzig’s Timo Werner and Lyon striker Moussa Dembele amongst their chief targets.
Frank Lampard is keen to add additional firepower to his side in the winter window after Chelsea saw their transfer-ban lifted on appeal, reports suggesting that the Blues’ boss will have a significant budget of around £150m to strengthen with new additions.
The club have strongly been linked with a move for Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho in recent months, though it appears unlikely that the Bundesliga side will part with the England international mid-season despite the teenager’s disciplinary issues in Germany this season.
Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha is another name being muted, the Ivorian having expressed a desire to leave Selhurst Park to fulfil his ambitions of playing Champions League football. The 27-year-old’s pedigree in the Premier League and versatility is likely to appeal to Lampard, though Palace will demand a fee in excess of £70m for a player who only signed a new long-term deal at the club last year.
According to the Telegraph, Chelsea will also target central forwards with both Werner and Dembele being monitored ahead of next month’s transfer window.
Germany international Werner has enjoyed a superb start to the season in the Bundesliga, scoring 16 times in just 15 appearances and providing a further five assists for a Leipzig side who currently lead the division.
The club’s hopes of securing a first-ever Bundesliga title and their securing of qualification to the Champions League knock-out stages will make a January deal difficult, however, there are rumours of a release clause in the 23-year-old’s contract with Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Manchester United having previously been linked.
Like Werner, Dembele will also feature in the last-16 of the Champions League after Lyon secured a clash with Juventus in the next round, the Ligue 1 side finishing runners-up to Leipzig in the group stages.
The Frenchman has impressed since joining Lyon from Celtic last year, scoring 25 goals in 49 league appearances and the club will be unlikely willing to part with the player mid-season.
Chelsea were drawn to face Bayern Munich in their last-16 tie on Monday and Lampard is keen to reinforce his squad ahead of the clash and maintain their push for a top-four finish, the club’s form having dipped drastically in recent weeks with four defeats in their past five league fixtures.
Both Michy Batshuayi and Olivier Giroud have also been linked with exits in the January window, and the club will be keen to bring in replacements to provide both competition and back-up for top scorer Tammy Abraham.
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