The start of this summer transfer window saw Chelsea come in hot – their plans were clear. They wanted to patch up some holes in the squad with cheap options and young talents, but the primary needs were an elite right winger and an alternate to Nicolas Jackson up front.
After a bright start with a lot of chatter – we went hard for Michael Olise only to lose out to Bayern Munich, and were heavily linked with players like Jhon Duran for the striker role – things went very quiet. In fact, while the squad players have been trickling in, there’s been little or no recent talk about our striker options.
One would be forgiven for thinking that perhaps plans had moved on – maybe 18 year old Barcelona striker Marc Guiu, signed for €6m in June, was being considered enough?
Chelsea still haven't given up on Samu Omorodion despite multiple rejected bids, none exceeding €50m including bonuses. Atleti don't wish to sell and it may take €70m to change their mind. But Atleti really want Omorodion to sign a new deal and insert a €120m release clause.🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/qInRGPDLzs
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) July 26, 2024
Chelsea still keen on 20 year old
But according to Ben Jacobs, who is well informed about the club’s transfer intentions, that’s not the case. Writing today, he assured fans that the plan remains to sign a striker – and that Atletico Madrid striker Samu Omorodion is top of the list.
We’ve had “multiple rejected bids”, although none exceeded €50m.
Atletico Madrid apparently won’t accept anything less than €70m, and in fact want to get the 20 year old to sign a new contract with a €120m release clause.
As it stands, the €20m+ gap between our valuation and Atletico’s asking price looks insurmountable. That’s especially the case because we’re pretty happy with Jackson. We’re looking for an alternate and a backup, not a replacement. Even the old Chelsea wouldn’t drop €70m on a second choice – and the new Chelsea certainly won’t.
As Jacobs says, the deal isn’t dead, but as it stands we can’t see the terms which would make it happen being agreed.
