Chelsea have completed the permanent transfer of Strasbourg centre-forward Emanuel Emegha, the club has confirmed on chelseafc.com.
The Dutchman first rose to prominence in Austria, where his prolific goalscoring form at Sturm Graz attracted interest from a host of clubs across Europe.
In the summer of 2023, Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg secured his signature, and since then, he has established himself as one of the standout young forwards in Ligue 1.
Last season, he played a pivotal role in the Blue-and-White’s historic European qualification, finishing as their top scorer with 14 goals and contributing a total of 17 goal involvements.
He has also begun the new season in strong form, netting three goals in four games in all competitions for Liam Rosenior’s side, and it’s no surprise the Blues have decided to poach him early to avoid a potential transfer battle.
The West London club have now confirmed on their official website that an agreement has been reached for the transfer of Emegha to Stamford Bridge.
The report clarifies that the Netherlands U21 international is set to complete the season at Stade de la Meinau before officially joining Chelsea in 2026.
Swoop
In a separate report, renowned transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claims that the Club World Cup champions anticipated stern interest from several clubs to tie the 6ft 4in forward to a seven-year contract beginning from next season.
This summer, Chelsea strengthened their frontline with the additions of strikers Liam Delap and Joao Pedro. At the same time, Nicolas Jackson departed for Bayern Munich on a loan deal that includes a conditional obligation to buy.
The Blues also moved to recall Marc Guiu from his previously agreed season-long loan at Sunderland after Delap sustained an injury expected to sideline him for several months of the campaign.
Looking ahead, the Dutch striker, valued at £21m by Transfermarkt, will provide Enzo Maresca with another attacking option from next season. However, with Chelsea boasting a wealth of options in attack, Emegha will face stiff competition from several forwards who will already have built up significant experience under Maresca by then.
Chelsea will hope to make it three wins in a row when they take the short trip to the Gtech Community Stadium to face West London neighbours Brentford on Saturday at 8:00 PM BST.
