Opinion: Chelsea can’t afford to get £100m transfer decision wrong amid Osimhen & Ferguson interest

Chelsea’s owners are willing to splash the cash over the coming months on a new striker and two credible options have emerged.

Strong interest is held in Napoli forward Victor Osimhen, who has a £103 million release clause in his contract which becomes active in the summer.

Osimhen is also reportedly open to a move to Stamford Bridge, while links to Brentford’s Ivan Toney have cooled over recent weeks.

A fresh report from Nizaar Kinsella of the Evening Standard has revealed Chelsea are also ‘long-term admirers’ of Brighton & Hove Albion striker Evan Ferguson.

Ferguson has scored six goals in 24 matches in all competitions this season, with all six coming in the Premier League (18 appearances).

Chelsea’s current options in attack are Armando Broja, Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku. However, Jackson is currently away with Senegal at the African Cup of Nations and Nkunku is recovering from a hip injury.

With the latest reports suggesting co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali will continue to invest in the side, with a new centre-forward a priority, a decision is looming and Chelsea have to make sure they get it right.

Almost a billion pounds has been spent since the Boehly-Clearlake Capital’s ownership arrival, with considerable sales from departures also needing to be taken into account, and another big-money arrival is likely to come when a striker is acquired.

Osimhen is the obvious option in the summer. There is no guarantee Chelsea will sign him if they wish to act on their interest, but the Nigeria international will be easier to sign due to his release clause, while Brighton, who have taken a lot of money off Chelsea in the last 18 months for players, are reluctant to offload Ferguson.

Pressure is already mounting on Chelsea to start showing signs of becoming winners on the pitch and signing a striker could be the key to solving their problems in front of goal, however that’s been an issue for the Blues for many years.

Chelsea cannot afford to make an expensive mistake when it comes to their striker search. They will have to be quick to fight off the competition with hopes for European qualification for 2024-25 hanging in the balance.

The charm will have to start now off the pitch in their search for a new number nine, but whoever arrives through the doors at Stamford Bridge will need more than charm if they want to succeed leading the line in west London.