Chelsea are contacting the £195k-a-week striker as Maresca plans a January transfer

Chelsea the bosses have reached out to representatives of the top striker, and his departure in January is considered a real possibility before the deadline.

Chelsea are looking for a potential striker for January

Christopher Nkunku has already really encouraged Bayern Munich that they can seal a deal for the 27-year-old before time runs out, so a mid-season move to one of the Enzo Marescathe top scorers in all competitions could even happen.

Nkunku is believed to have agreed personal terms with Bayerngiving the green light to Vincent Kompany’s side to try and seal a deal for him in January, but both Chelsea and the Bavarians still have to shake hands over a fee between the clubs.

Chelsea will be asking north of £60m to let the Frenchman leave, so there is clearly work to be done on that front, and it is unclear whether Bayern would be willing to pay that much for Nkunku – despite him being clearly a top target.

In the event that Nkunku opts out of Stamford Bridge, it is believed Chelsea will look to bring in a new striker before February 3 (Simon Phillips). Ipswich Town star Liam Delap is high on the wishlist of co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, with the Blues having consistent access to the 21-year-old.

Chelsea have made contact with Delap’s camp for the second time in the last few weeks, and relatively recently (Simon Phillips). This interest comes amid his impressive Premier League campaign at Portman Road, where he shone as one of Kieran McKenna’s stars in a relegation-threatened team.

However, the former Man City gem is by no means their only reported attacking target, and there are suggestions that he is Chelsea could even rival Arsenal for RB Leipzig starlet Benjamin Sesko.

Chelsea is talking to Dusan Vlahovic through his representatives

Interestingly, according to a report from Calciomercat in Italy, Sesko is not the only striker Chelsea could challenge Arsenal for.

Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic is the target of both London clubs, and the Serbian international faces an uncertain future as his contract expires in 2026. Chelsea have already made contact with Vlahovic’s campwith Arsenal, while both sides are looking for a new striker.

The 24-year-old, on around £195,000-a-week according to this report, has scored 12 goals in 24 appearances in all competitions so far.

Calcio claim that Vlahovic will be allowed to leave before the deadline, but not if the club do not pay an asking price of up to £51m. The former Fiorentina star scored 21 goals in the 2020/2021 season. for La Viola, his best campaign to date, but came pretty close to that tally with 18 goals for Juve last season.

Vlahović is clearly a player who knows where the net is, so Juve have no plans to let him go cheap, regardless of the contract situation.