Chelsea are now believed to be targeting a Liverpool star for manager Enzo Maresca, with the Premier League side joining Barcelona in a race for his signature this summer.
Chelsea eye new attackers for Enzo Maresca
The west Londoners were forced to cope without Noni Madueke, Marc Guiu and Nicolas Jackson against Aston Villa on Saturday, who all missed the clash through injury, with Chelsea short of attacking options overall.
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The Blues have been approached over his potential availability.
João Félix’s loan move to Milan left Maresca another body short in the final third, and while the aforementioned trio are expected back after the international break (Maresca), this current situation brings attention to Chelsea’s failure to land another attacker in January.
|
Chelsea’s next five Premier League fixtures |
Date |
|---|---|
|
Southampton (home) |
February 25th |
|
Leicester City (home) |
March 9th |
|
Arsenal (away) |
March 16th |
|
Tottenham (home) |
April 2nd |
|
Brentford (away) |
April 5th |
Chelsea did hold some talks over Mathys Tel, who eventually ended up joining Tottenham on loan, and were linked with a host of other high-profile centre-forwards, but Maresca must now wait until the summer before BlueCo can take action and help to reinforce his squad.
It has been reported that Chelsea have laid some groundwork over a move for Liam Delap, who’s been on fire for Ipswich this season, while RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Sporting CP hero Viktor Gyokeres are also under consideration (Simon Phillips).
More left-field targets are emerging on a weekly basis, with a report now sharing Chelsea’s interest in Liverpool forward Luis Diaz.
The Colombian has scored 13 goals and registered three assists in all competitions under Arne Slot, playing a key role for Liverpool throughout 2024/25, but he’s out of contract in 2027 and his future has been the source of some speculation recently.
The Reds would want as much as £67m to part company with Diaz, according to TEAMtalk, with Chelsea said to be on red alert over his potential capture.
Chelsea join Barcelona in race to sign Liverpool star Luis Diaz
A Spanish media source reports that Chelsea have joined Barça in the race to sign Diaz from Liverpool, and both sides view the South American as an ideal potential capture.
While a move to one of La Liga’s biggest clubs may well prove tempting for Diaz, a switch to London and remaining in the Premier League cannot be discounted at this stage.
Despite his star player status, the 28-year-old earns just £55,000 per week at Anfield, with Diaz said to be keen on signing improved terms. Until he puts pen to paper, Diaz’s future will remain at the centre of reports linking him with a Merseyside exit.
One thing is certain: Liverpool won’t want to lose the player if they can help it.
“The speed he has is insane,” said former Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp during Diaz’s first season at the club after he joined them from FC Porto in 2022.
“He gets our football 100 per cent. We thought we saw that at Porto. He fits like a glove to our football and that’s really, really special.”
