Beier, Duran, David or Omorodion? Comparing Chelsea’s reported striker targets
With the transfer window open, links to one of Europe’s biggest spending clubs in recent seasons, Chelsea, are understandably rife.
Under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, the Blues have spent north of £1bn over the last two and a half seasons, and seemingly top of their list of priorities this summer is a new centre-forward to provide back-up or competition for Nicolas Jackson.
Here, we take a look at four names to have been linked with Chelsea in recent weeks, analysing their league campaigns last season, and their potential suitability to an attacking role at Stamford Bridge.
The first name on our four-man shortlist is Hoffenheim attacker Maximilian Beier, who more than impressed in his first full season in the Bundesliga last term. The 21-year-old netted 16 goals and provided one assist, with his performances enough to earn the recognition of Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann.
At 21, Beier fits the criteria for Chelsea’s recruitment model in recent years: young players, full of potential. His ability to play in a number of roles across the frontline will also appeal, while a reported price-tag of €30m would seem reasonable.
Perhaps the leading candidate in Chelsea’s search for a striker is Aston Villa hitman Jhon Duran, who has been the subject of links with a move away for nearly a year. The 20-year-old Colombian, who joined Villa in January 2022, struggled for consistent game time last season given the remarkable form of Ollie Watkins, but still managed to net five league goals in just 463 minutes.
Like Beier, Duran is young and has shown glimpses of his impressive potential, but a reported £40m valuation for the former Chicago Fire man could prove the sticking point.
Canada international Jonathan David has seemingly been on the cusp of a big move for the last few summers, but it has ultimately eluded him. The 24-year-old has consistently put up strong goalscoring numbers in the French top-flight and it looks as though this year he may finally depart Lille.
In the campaign just gone, David netted 19 goals and provided four assists to follow his previous season where he notched 24 and four, respectively. David has shown a clinical, prolific touch, but question marks may remain about his ability to carry that form over to the Premier League.
Samu Omorodion (Atletico Madrid)
The fourth and final name on our shortlist is Atletico Madrid’s Samu Omorodion, who was the subject of a €32.5m bid from Chelsea earlier this month. Omorodion spent the majority of the 2023/24 campaign on loan with La Liga side Alaves after moving permanently from Granada to Atleti in August.
In 34 league appearances for the Basque side, the 20-year-old netted eight goals and provided one assist, while he also won the division’s Goal of the Month award in February. At just 20, Omorodion’s prospective move to Chelsea would certainly be one for the future, but the Spain U21 international has too shown signs that he could compete for a starting spot in the here and now.
