Chelsea have a problem up top right now. Joao Pedro has enjoyed an excellent debut campaign. But other than him, there is no real outlet for goals there. Liam Delap scored just once in the Premier League. Marc Guiu’s loan spell at Sunderland was cut short but he proved to be pretty much a non-entity for the majority of the campaign.
Nicolas Jackson spent the season out on loan at Bayern Munich. He is set to return. But it is unclear whether he is going to stay.
There is a possibility that he could be viewed as a backup option now. Would that role be good enough for Jackson? Or is he going to try to push through an exit again, like he did last summer?
It looks like the club are keeping their eye out for alternative options heading into the summer window. According to Mundo Deportivo, Chelsea are interested in Darwin Nunez. The arrival of Xabi Alonso could facilitate his return to the Premier League.
What is the current status of Darwin Nunez?
Nunez is currently on the books at Al-Hilal. But he lost his place in the squad after the arrival of Karim Benzema. And it has been claimed that his contract could be terminated this summer.
Of course, that would mean that Nunez would be available as a free agent. For all the criticism he received during his time at Liverpool, a lot of clubs would be interested in the idea of signing him for nothing.
To be honest, Nunez’s numbers for Liverpool are not as bad as the criticism would have you believe. He scored 40 goals and provided 26 assists for the club in 143 matches.
But you have to remember, he did not start a lot of those games. He played just 7430 minutes of football in total for Liverpool. That means that Nunez averaged a goal contribution every 113 minutes. Would you not want that kind of output from a free agent?
Darwin Nunez is not the only striker Chelsea have been linked with
It is worth mentioning that Nunez is not the only striker Chelsea have been linked with in recent weeks. That is interesting, considering it has been claimed that the three positions they are looking at are centre-back, centre-midfielder and left-winger.
Yet, they are also believed to have made an offer to Dusan Vlahovic’s camp. Just like Nunez, he could be available as a free agent this summer as well.
So, it does seem like Chelsea are keeping an eye out on the free agent market this summer when it comes to signing a striker. That might be the investment they are willing to make in that position after spending around €100 million on bringing Pedro and Delap to Stamford Bridge.
It remains to be seen if Nunez, Vlahovic or somebody else ends up at Chelsea. That would most likely mean the exit of either Delap or Jackson, or even both, as there is not enough playing time to go around, especially in a season with no European football.
