Blues are looking for a forward to solve their scoring problems
Evan Ferguson has not started regularly for Brighton this season.
Chelsea are reportedly considering signing Irish striker Evan Ferguson in a deal that could cost more than £100m.
The Irishman signed a new contract with Brighton last year that will keep him at the club until 2029, but London’s Evening Standard suggests Chelsea could test the Seagulls’ owners with a huge bid in this month’s transfer window. are doing.
Brighton chief executive Paul Bader said last summer that Ferguson was one player he would not consider selling anytime soon, insisting he wanted the teenager to be part of Brighton’s future.
“In Evan’s case, it will take at least five years! Ultimately, we will have to decide whether he needs more first-team games, a loan spell, or whether we should consider a trade sooner rather than later. It’s the technical staff that’s making the decisions,”’ Barber said.
“It will be a collective decision by the technical staff. We leave it to the technical staff to make decisions regarding the progress of players.
With Chelsea’s attacking options depleted, the club recalled David Fofana from his loan to Union Berlin earlier this month.
The 21-year-old striker made 17 appearances in the Bundesliga, including four in the Champions League on his club debut, scoring two goals in total.
He joined Stamford Bridge from Norwegian side Molde in January 2023 for £10.9m and made three Premier League appearances under former manager Graham Potter last season before agreeing a 12-month move to Germany. .
With Nicholas Jackson playing for Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations and Christopher Nkunku missing the last two games with a hip injury, the club are currently short on attacking options and will be given an early start in West London. Return to
Armando Broja has been Mauricio Pochettino’s only striker available in recent weeks, but he has scored just two goals this season after recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Victor Osimhen and Ivan Toney have also been linked with a move to Chelsea, but their wage demands are thought to be a concern for Chelsea as they seek to ensure compliance with Financial Fair Play rules.
The club have spent more than £1bn in the transfer market in recent years, but manager Mauricio Pochettino has made it clear he wants to sign a striker this month.
“Soccer is about scoring goals. We are not clinical in front of goal,” the Chelsea manager said. “That’s an issue we need to check. We need to analyze the reality. We need to talk and try to improve in the next game” in the transfer market. ”