Chelsea are opening talks to sign a new striker

Xabi Alonso will be looking to cement his authority at his new Chelsea club with a number of transfers when the window opens soon.

With Marc Cucurella reportedly on the verge of a move, the Blues have drawn up a list of left-back targets, with Alejandro Grimaldo – who played under Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen – named as another target in this area of ​​the pitch.

Aside from adding defensive credentials, last season’s midfield could be boosted by key attacking signings, with the Blues eyeing one striker, in particular.

Chelsea are looking to sign a new striker

Joao Pedro has had a strong first season calling Stamford Bridge home, with the former Brighton and Hove Albion striker netting 15 Premier League goals in 35 league appearances for the West London giants.

However, if we delve into the numbers of the team’s strikers as a whole without the Brazilian’s exit, Chelsea do not have a second striker who can deliver goods, Liam Delap managed to score one league goal in the last campaign, as a huge disappointment for £30m from Ipswich City.

That’s where Dusan Vlahovic can help, the Juventus striker set to become a free agent at the end of June, which has piqued the interest of Alonso and Co.

CaughtOffside reports that Chelsea are the frontrunners to sign the Serbian player, saying that the Blues have been in contact with Vlahovic’s camp to discuss a potential deal.

Newcastle United, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur are also interested, according to the report, so it will be interesting to see who, from the Premier League watchers called, wins the 26-year-old.

How Vlahovic could be Alonso’s Diego Costa

If Chelsea are successful with their development, Alonso could win his own Diego Costa, as a lethal new striker who could transform the Blues back into a Premier League title contender.

Costa rarely needed a second scoring call when he was used as Chelsea’s main striker in three seasons.

He then set the Premier League on fire immediately after his arrival from Atletico Madrid, with a 2014/15 campaign that saw Costa score 20 league goals, in just 26 games.

Going on to amass a clinical 59 strikes from a total of 120 outings for Chelsea, he would go on to lead the Blues to two Premier League titles and a single-handed EFL Cup success, with Jose Mourinho rightly hailing him as “special” in 2014.

The hope will be that Vlahovic can slot straight into Alonso’s set-up, if the Serbian swaps Turin for London, and become someone like Costa, with the number nine currently known for being the undisputed marksman in Serie A.

Having made 221 appearances for the Serie A giants, the 26-year-old has scored 94 goals and provided 18 assists, as an injury-plagued season has just passed in which Vlahovic collected a healthy 10 goals, from just 1162 minutes of play.

As Mourinho showered Costa with praise, Vlahovic has also had a different face in terms of his goalscoring ability, with ex-Fiorentina great Luca Toni hailing him as “one of the best strikers in the world”, two years at his Old Lady.

Ironically, his goalscoring prowess has yet to result in the Turin giants winning any notable silverware. However, if Alonso had both Vlahovic and Joao Pedro, Chelsea could move up the Premier League table and improve to 10th place from last season, with another Premier League title likely to enter the trophy cabinet at Stamford Bridge.

Since Costa’s exit in 2017, Chelsea have been unable to add their name to the famous trophy, despite the full-blooded Spaniard leading the Blues to two top-flight victories.

Could Vlahovic be the top striker needed to push Alonso and Co into title contention?

Only time will tell, but winning Serbia on a free transfer is a steal that Chelsea would be foolish not to explore again.