Alexander Isak was reportedly one of many forwards that Chelsea either pursued or considered making a move for in the summer transfer window.
The Blues were eager to sign another striker in order to add more firepower to their frontline, but were ultimately unsuccessful in their attempts.
The west London outfit spent £219.6 million on new signings this summer, but Marc Guiu was the only centre-forward to join the club, leaving Barcelona for around £5m.
It was not for lack of trying though, as Chelsea looked at several different options to fill a position that is currently occupied by Nicolas Jackson.
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Isak was one such option they considered as they sought to take advantage of Newcastle United‘s concerns over Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), asking about the Sweden international “for most of the year”, according to The Athletic.
However, Chelsea would have had to shell out a “club-record transfer fee” to make a deal happen, while the Magpies saw selling Isak as a “last resort” to solving their PSR issues.
They also spent the last few weeks of the transfer window “pushing” for a move for Victor Osimhen, who was up for sale as Napoli sought to buy Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea, a deal that was eventually agreed for £25m.
It appears that their pursuit of the Nigeria international was more of a punt than anything else, knowing that they “could not compete financially” with the money on offer from Al-Ahli, but felt it was “better to make an attempt … than not try at all”.
In the end the Saudi Pro League side signed Ivan Toney, who had been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge. However, it’s claimed that their interest in the former Brentford striker was a “smokescreen” while they focused on Osimhen.
Aston Villa‘s Jhon Duran was considered as an alternative, despite dismissing the Colombian as a potential signing earlier in the window after conducting “a thorough review of the player”.
Additionally, Lille’s Jonathan David and Dominic Calvert-Lewin of Everton were looked at, while there was interest in RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko before he signed a new contract.
Read – Rating every Premier League club’s summer transfer window
See Also – Every Premier League transfer record broken this summer
