It is almost time to start previewing the next weekend of Premier League action, with Chelsea taking on Aston Villa on Saturday (we’ll have preview pieces for you on that in a couple days).
However, we still have some international break to do yet, you know what that means- more transfer rumors.
Chelsea’s biggest problem is that they just cannot score goals, so we’re going to look at that overall situation in this post.
We’ll start with a guy who was brought in to do just that, has not delivered on expectations, and will soon be heading out the Stamford Bridge exit door.
Then we’ll move on to a guy the club is targeting to fix that issue.
Yes, it’s an all-forward edition of Chelsea transfer talk.
Journalist Paul Brown recently said to the publication GIVEMESPORT that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has no future at Chelsea. Yes, this is despite the fact that he just moved over this past summer.
We questioned the signing of the Gabon international when it happened, believing this was a less-than-intelligent move. We were proven correct has Aubameyang has only made four total starts in the Premier League.
This despite earning £160,000 a week, according to Spotrac.
A return to FC Barcelona could be in the cards for the former Arsenal captain. And why not, as he scored 13 goals in 24 appearances, during his brief time there.
Moving on, the Blues will need to find someone to replace him, especially given how Kai Havertz isn’t really a true natural center forward.
Napoli striker Victor Osimhen will be at the top of their wish list, as he’s scored 25 goals in 29 games across all competitions this season.
His team is thriving too as Napoli are leading Serie A and playing in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. According to Football Insider, Chelsea are willing to bid £100 million to acquire his signature, as he will be their top priority signing.
It may take that much money to land the 24-year-old Nigeria international, as plenty of other teams, all with deep pockets, are understood to be in the running.
Man United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Real Madrid have all been linked with Osimhen.
Of course, United will be linked with every striker under the sun between now and deadline day. And we started covering that here, and also here.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.