Chelsea have received a huge transfer boost in their pursuit of Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez as the 25-year-old wants to join the Blues this summer, according to Football Insider.
The West Londoners have been busy in the last few days working on transfer targets as new manager Mauricio Pochettino is keen on reshaping his squad after a poor campaign last term.
Chelsea are looking to bring in Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo this summer after seeing their £55m bid rejected by the Seagulls in January as they had no plans of losing him midseason.
The Blues are back for the Ecuadorian youngster as the likes of N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Mason Mount are all expected to leave Stamford Bridge as part of a massive clear-out, hence the need to reinforce the midfield.
However, strengthening the attack could also be on the cards for Pochettino and Martinez has emerged as a serious target. The online news portal claims Martinez is keen on leaving Inter Milan this summer and he would love to play under Pochettino at Stamford Bridge.
Manchester United are also interested in taking the South American to Old Trafford but it looks like Chelsea could win the race for the Argentina striker.
Reinforcement
Chelsea endured a nightmare 2022/23 campaign and they failed to consistently find the back of the net – scoring 38 goals in 38 games in the Premier League as they finished 12th in the table.
Raheem Sterling, who joined the Blues last summer from Manchester City, was the club’s top scorer with just 10 goals in all competitions followed by Kai Havertz – who netted nine goals last season.
The Germany forward could leave the club this summer despite having two years left on his contract. Pochettino’s side are keen on selling the 24-year-old for £70m with Arsenal favourites to complete a deal, therefore they would need to bring in attacking reinforcements.
Chelsea have been linked with a host of forwards including Neymar, Wilfried Zaha, Sadio Mane, Victor Osimhen, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, and Dusan Vlahovic but Martinez’s desire to play for Chelsea could see the Londoners make a formal move.
According to Football Insider, Inter Milan are ready to offload the South American for £60m due to their financial struggles. Pochetinno wants to work with the World Cup winner so we could see Chelsea step-up their interest over the coming days.
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