Chelsea have reportedly submitted their first formal bid in an attempt to sign a marquee forward who's also wanted by Liverpool, with BlueCo trying to back manager Enzo Maresca ahead of their Club World Cup campaign next month.
Chelsea set for crucial top-five decider against Nottingham Forest
Before they can officially get any signings through the door, Stamford Bridge chiefs await the result of Chelsea's chase for a highly coveted spot in the Premier League top five.
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The Blues want to "speed up" talks.
Maresca's side are braced for a tough final day test against fellow Champions League qualification contenders, Nottingham Forest, at the City Ground, with Nuno Espirito Santo's men needing a victory against Chelsea to stand any chance.
Race for Champions League qualification
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Chelsea, on the other hand, can confirm their Champions League status without having to worry about results elsewhere, but to be in that scenario, nothing but three points will do for Maresca, who sent a subtle message to his team prior to their all-important last game of 2024/25.
"It probably also shows how difficult is the Premier League, so many teams involved. The ones that have been consistent are Liverpool, this is the reason why they won... the rest had up-and-down moments during the season," Maresca said in a pre-Forest press conference.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca celebrates after the match
"We're quite lucky in this aspect, because if we win, we do our job. We don't need to pay attention to the other results."
Finishing outside the top five would be detrimental, not just in the sense of a disappointing season, but also when it comes to Chelsea's recruitment plans for the summer.
Their transfer strategy is directly tied in with their Champions League chase, and Chelsea will have more wiggle room to strengthen the squad in certain areas if they're successful (Simon Phillips).
That being said, this reportedly hasn't stopped the Blues from testing the water for key targets.
Chelsea-Joao-Pedro
Fabrizio Romano says Chelsea have held talks with Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap, while reports in Brazil this week even claim they've launched an offer for Brighton's Joao Pedro.
Chelsea submit "formal" bid to sign Eintracht Frankfurt star Hugo Ekitiké
Claims of this nature will come flooding in as we fast approach the mini-transfer window, which will open from June 1 to June 10, and allow Chelsea to register new players before their CWC campaign kicks off.
Eintracht Frankfurt sensation Hugo Ekitiké is another striker on Chelsea's radar, following the Frenchman's impressive haul of 22 goals and 12 assists in all competitions this season.
Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike
The 22-year-old departed PSG for Eintracht last summer and hasn't looked back since, but the Bundesliga side face a battle to keep hold of Ekitike, as he attracts serious interest from England's elite.
According to reports in Spain, the forward is wanted by both Chelsea and Liverpool, but it is the west London club who've moved in with an offer.
It is believed Eintracht want around £84 million to sell their star striker this summer. However, Chelsea's "formal" opening bid for Ekitike comes in at around £67 million, so it would appear they're some way short of the mark.
The cost of this potential deal is exacerbated by PSG's sell-on clause, meaning a percentage of his final fee would go to his former side. This has prompted Eintracht to slap a mammoth price tag on his head, and it is unclear whether the Germans will entertain Chelsea's low-ball proposal as things stand.
Nevertheless, this is deemed an "ambitious" move by BlueCo, and time will tell whether it will bear any fruit.