Chelsea are now seriously pursuing a Premier League star who was also highly thought of at Stamford Bridge during the Roman Abramovich era, with Blues recruitment chiefs holding a real admiration for him behind-the-scenes.
Chelsea set to invest in new forward signings this summer
A lot of rumours this week have centred around a possible new midfielder coming in to bolster Enzo Maresca's engine room, with Man United starlet Kobbie Mainoo believed to be a serious target for Chelsea.
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The American billionaire has a target in his sights.
Chelsea are also lining up an offer for Sunderland star Jobe Bellingham, according to some reports, but the club are still widely expected to significantly invest in the acquisition of a new high-profile forward.
Chelsea's next five Premier League fixtures Date
Arsenal (away) March 16th
Tottenham (home) April 2nd
Brentford (away) April 5th
Ipswich Town (home) April 12th
Fulham (away) April 19th
Chelsea didn't bring in a prolific new centre-forward in the January window, which was seen as a mistake at the time, with Noni Madueke, Marc Guiu and Nicolas Jackson succumbing to injury soon afterward.
BlueCo will be eager to ensure that Maresca does have a reliable number nine to call upon once we reach the beginning of 2025/2026, a season where Chelsea could be competing in the Champions League for the first time in years.
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Chelsea are among the main contenders to sign Benjamin Sesko, while links continue to surround the likes of Viktor Gyokeres (Sporting Lisbon) and Liam Delap (Ipswich Town), who are all enjoying excellent campaigns right now.
However, with uncertainty now surrounding Jadon Sancho's long-term future at Chelsea, not to mention Mykhailo Mudryk after his failed drugs test, it is believed they're identifying targets for the wing position as well.
Chelsea have been sporadically linked with a new winger, but Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo is now climbing up their transfer shortlist.
Antoine Semenyo scores for Bournemouth
The former Bristol City star has racked up nine goals and five assists in all competitions under Andoni Iraola this season, attracting attention from big clubs, and Chelsea were thought to be real fans even during his days at Ashton Gate.
Antoine Semenyo emerges as "massive" Chelsea transfer target
That is according to reliable journalist Simon Phillips, who wrote via his Substack this week that the Ghanaian was a target during the Abramovich era, with Chelsea even thinking about making contact at the time.
Semenyo has impressed for the Cherries since then, with BlueCo and the Chelsea recruitment team also thought to be major admirers of his. Indeed, it is believed that Semenyo is now a "massive" target for Chelsea, as they also consider moves for his Bournemouth teammates Illia Zabarnyi and Dean Huijsen.
"We’ve heard that Chelsea are now tracking versatile attacker Antoine Semenyo for a potential summer move," wrote Phillips.
"There has been extensive scouting of late, and our top source tells us that Semenyo has now become a ‘massive’ target for the club. The 25-year-old, who can play on either wing as well as a central striker or a second striker, has been tracked by Chelsea for many years and was first scouted under the old ownership.
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"When the new owners came in, they continued running the data on Semenyo and tracking his progress closely.
"The former owners actually seriously considered a move for the attacker when he was at Bristol City and went as far as making contact. But nothing came of that and the player then of course moved to Bournemouth.
"But the Ghana international is now a player that the new recruitment team at Chelsea really like and are impressed with not just his quality but also his physicality."
If the west Londoners are serious about striking a deal for the versatile attacker, Bournemouth could demand a fee of around £51 million.