Chelsea Eyeing Move for Serie A Striker
Chelsea have been linked with a move for Inter Milan striker Mauro Icardi to spearhead a new-look attack next season. The Blues have al...
https://www.chelseadaft.org/2020/03/chelsea-eyeing-move-for-serie-striker.html
Chelsea have been linked with a move for Inter Milan striker Mauro Icardi to spearhead a new-look attack next season.
The Blues have already agreed to sign Ajax star Hakim Ziyech for a fee of around £34m in the summer, but he’ll be the direct replacement for Eden Hazard who left in the summer. That still leaves manager Frank Lampard looking for a hitman to spearhead a possible assault on the Premier League title next season, with Icardi firmly in his sights.
27-year-old Icardi belongs to Serie A giants Inter but is currently on loan at Paris St Germain, where he’s the subject of a clause that would allow them to purchase him at the end of the season for around £55m. With 14 goals in 18 matches for the French side, a move seemed likely until recently.
The Argentinian striker was widely reported not to have made a decision on his future yet, with his wife and agent opening the door for other clubs to come and get him. He is likely to leave Inter though, after falling out with the club’s hardcore supporters, known as ultras.
They released a statement claiming they’ll never back him because of his mentality and attitude, which will surely put paid to his San Siro career. One avenue he may now explore is a move to England, where Lampard may be looking to offer him a lifeline.
Chelsea have been linked with several strikers as they look to add to their squad following last summer’s transfer ban, but Icardi is one of the highest-profile and a name likely to get pulses racing. Now they’ve reportedly targeted him as part of a summer spending spree, fans will be hoping those rumours suggesting he won’t be staying in Paris are accurate.
He didn’t come on in the Champions League recently as PSG were beaten 2-1 in Dortmund, nor did fellow striker Edison Cavani. Should PSG fail to overturn the deficit in the second leg it may lead the striker to seek pastures new. With Chelsea amongst the favourites to finish in the top four in the latest football betting odds, they could offer Icardi Champions League football. Not just that, but he’d play a starring role rather than sitting on the bench watching his side get beaten.
The Blues are currently fourth in the Premier League table and have been relying on academy graduate Tammy Abraham for goals. He’s bagged 13 in 23 Premier League matches but scored just once in the opening two months of 2020. In Europe, he scored two in his opening six matches, but his growing potential perhaps isn’t quite enough for Chelsea’s needs right now.
The Blues have a wonderful chance to establish themselves as a real threat to Liverpool and Manchester City’s domestic dominance, as well as being a favourite for a Champions League spot in the wake of City’s European ban. With funds stored away from the sale of Hazard and the summer transfer ban, they’re also in a great position to make significant purchases at the end of this campaign.
Mauro Icardi could well be the big-name star of world football that helps establish Chelsea as one of the dominant forces in the English game once again.
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