Who will join Fernando Torres up front at Stamford Bridge next season?
Chelsea face going into the second half of their pre-season with just one available striker.
And that man, Fernando Torres, is yet to join up with the squad which drew 1-1 with PSG on Sunday.
The Spaniard has been given extra time off after his Euro 2012 performances, but will be required back as soon as possible to hit the ground running.
Romelu Lukaku led the line against PSG, but struggled to make an impact, and is set to join Fulham on loan for the season.
Daniel Sturridge is on Olympic duty with Great Britain, and will miss Chelsea’s preparations for the season ahead.
Boss Roberto di Matteo was forced into starting teenage playmaker Lucas Piazon up front, and was rewarded with a goal, but don’t expect him to be handed a regular striker’s spot.
So who?
Chelsea have big plans in the transfer market, but have so far drawn a blank, with clubs asking for crazy money for their targets.
The three they have been most strongly linked with are Hulk – priced by Porto at £38 million, Edinson Cavani – for who Napoli want a staggering £78 million, and Robert Lewandowski – who has a £35 million price tag placed on his head by Borussia Dortmund. A total of £151 million for just three players.
Are these players worth all that or are these clubs simply trying to take Chelsea for a ride?
We’d suggest the latter. Chelsea have long paid over the odds for players- £18 million for Yuri Zhirkhov and Fernando Torres for £50 million two high profile examples. So in many ways Chelsea are falling victim to their own extravagance.
Look at the way Dave Whelan is trying to squeeze every penny he can out of them for his Wigan side as the Blues pursue Victor Moses.
In the past Chelsea have been able to grit their teeth and bare their financial muscle, spending what is required to get their man, whether they totally agree with the selling club’s valuation or not.
The £32 million the club paid for Eden Hazard was around the going rate for a player who could be a once-in-a-generation talent, but the fees being asked by Porto, Napoli, and Borussia Dortmund are all over-inflated, to differing degrees.
With Financial Fair Play (FFP) on the horizon, Chelsea may just be ready to scale back their over-extravagance, and seem determined not to pay over the odds for players.
The biggest example of this is Hulk. Chelsea were in advanced negotiations with the Brazilian striker, but since Porto took their tough stance on price, around £10 million above his market value, the move has hit the buffers.
Don’t expect any progress with Cavani or Lewandowski either. So it is back to the drawing board for the club, but with time ticking down they really need to get a new face in.
They will have to identify an alternative, and quickly, and make their move. Even so, their finances and need to buy may simply see a repeat of their previous advances, with clubs likely to seek as much as they possibly can. Falcao, another name linked, would likely cost over £45 million, but few would argue he is overpriced.
You can be sure Chelsea will add a new face to their strikeforce, and they are likely to have to pay big regardless, unless they go for a young up and coming talent, like Atletico Madrid’s Adrian, a snip at a relative £15 million.
Who they go for, and land, will be important and could even dictate who wins the Premier League title next May.
Who should Chelsea go for? Are clubs taking the mick by asking for too much for their targets?
image: © jikatu
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