Between now and the end of summer, Chelsea’s outlook on forwards in the summer market is going to be a topic of key interest.
football.london have previously reported that the Blues plan to have two strikers in the squad that begins the 2025/26 campaign. Nicolas Jackson, despite being banned for two matches at the FIFA Club World Cup for being sent off yet again, is still a firm part of this plan looking ahead to future.
Liam Delap was then recruited for £30m at the start of June, though even with the two strikers in place there remain plenty of names banded around Stamford Bridge as possible recruits. One of those is Victor Osimhen, a player who has been of interest for a considerable time as he is again available to leave Napoli.
And there are other forwards who could be added to Maresca’s squad to enhance quality ahead of a return to the Champions League.
As well as wing recruits being a top priority, Brighton centre forward Joao Pedro is another player of interest as a battle brews against Newcastle United.
With that, football.london analyses the latest Chelsea transfer headlines from Stamford Bridge with a focus on Pedro and Osimhen.
Swap deal
Via the Chelsea Chronicle, there is a ‘strong chance’ that Chelsea will attempt to offer midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in a player-plus-cash swap deal for Brighton’s Pedro.
The 26-year-old followed Enzo Maresca from Leicester City to Stamford Bridge following a stellar season in the Championship.
Even with the backing of his boss, Dewsbury-Hall made only 13 Premier League appearances in 2024/25. Of his 31 total appearances, 18 were starts.
Now with Dario Essugo entering and the return of Andrey Santos, the Blues could make better use of their existing option and put him towards the attempted acquisition of Pedro.
football.london says: All in all, this doesn’t seem so bad. The majority of Dewsbury-Hall’s minutes last season came in the Europa Conference League, and with the club now back in the Champions League is he going to carry on as a European starter? Highly unlikely. The competition for midfield places may mean that he would welcome a new challenge and if it helps the club win the race for Pedro, even better.
Osimhen phone call
Italian publication Il Mattino report that new Al-Hilal manager Simone Inzaghi has made a renewed attempt to convince Osimhen to sign for the Saudi Arabian club.
A move did not come to fruition in time for the FIFA Club World Cup to start but there is still chance for the Nigerian to sign and be registered between June 27 and July 3 in order for him to feature in the knockout stages, should they progress.
So the latest report says Inzaghi personally made the phone call to tell Osimhen that his best option is to join Al-Hilal.
After all, they are the only club reported so far to have matched Napoli’s price tag.
football.london says: Osimhen may be inclined to disagree with Inzaghi here, as he already has done, knowing that he is into his prime years as a footballer and still has plenty to offer at the highest level, which is unequivocally in one of Europe’s top divisions playing for a team that is qualified for the Champions League, like Chelsea. He has plenty of time as a veteran to move to the Gulf state and earn a major pay cheque, so he should carry on resisting.
