Our writer Simon Phillips has started Monday strong, with an exclusive sourced update on Chelsea’s moves towards signing more strikers this summer on his Substack.
The Blues locked in Nicolas Jackson last year by triggering his release clause, and it looks like they could be planning to do the same again. Top of the list is Benjamin Sesko, a player who has been linked for some time, but increasingly looks like our favourite option.
A major reason for that would be a £40m release clause that guarantees we can’t be held to ransom by RB Leipzig. A source has told Phillips that the move for the striker is “progressing,” with Chelsea likely keen to spread those payments over a longer period, even if that means paying a little more, much as we did with Enzo Fernandez.
Phillips goes on to add that we could yet sign two strikers this summer:
“This is just early groundwork for Chelsea on Sesko, and I understand that they are still looking at a host of different strikers,” he wrote.
“It’s not a case of Sesko now becoming the main target yet, and as I say, there is a belief that Chelsea could even target two strikers – heavily dependent on other circumstances and situations.”
Finances to play a huge role
Everything is in the very early stages, but we could yet see quite rapid movement on the Sesko front. His release clause means we just have to agree things with the player and his agent, and negotiations with Leipzig can be pretty brief if we want them to be.
We will be keeping all our options open, and once again our tricky financial situation will play a huge role, tying our hands until we’ve shifted some players and created some breathing room.
20 year old Sesko certainly looks like the favourite of the options available right now, however.
