Chelsea are considering a late move to sign Sporting CP striker Conrad Harder before the window closes, according to David Ornstein.
Enzo Maresca’s side have been thrown into a state of confusion after striker Liam Delap suffered a hamstring injury in their 2-0 win over Fulham on Saturday.
They had sanctioned a loan move for Nicolas Jackson to join Bayern Munich but revoked the permission for the Senegal international to make the move.
Chelsea are preparing for the possibility of Bayern Munich launching an attempt to sign Jackson permanently, and are looking at options on the market.
The Athletic journalist Ornstein has revealed that the Blues have a number of players in their sights, including Denmark international Harder.
Conrad Harder has been a hot topic on the transfer market this summer, with reports linking him to multiple clubs. AC Milan, RB Leipzig, and Rennes have come close to prising him away from the grasp of his Portuguese club, but none managed to secure his signature.
Harder played as back-up to Viktor Gyokeres for the Portuguese champions, scoring 11 goals in 47 appearances in the 2024-25 season. The 20-year-old is valued at around £20.7 million by Transfermarkt, positioning him as a low-cost target on the market.
Chelsea have considered making a loan addition but have not found any suitable targets, leading them to look at permanent targets. They will hope to resolve their problems in the striker position by Monday’s transfer deadline.
Familiar territory
Chelsea find themselves in dire need of adding a striker to their squad after Delap’s injury on Saturday. They had started the season with two strikers in the Englishman and Joao Pedro before the injury left them light in attack.
The Blues saw their season hit a snag in 2024-25 after both Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu suffered serious injuries on transfer deadline day in the winter. They had to turn to Pedro Neto and Christopher Nkunku as their strikers, just as Tyrique George filled in for most of the game against Fulham.
Liam Delap is expected to miss up to two months of action, and Jackson is reluctant to return to London. They understand the danger of exiting the transfer window with only one fit striker and will look to find a solution in the next 48 hours.
