Mauricio Pochettino plots £156m transfer swoop as Chelsea make contact with Sporting CP
Chelsea are preparing for a busy January transfer window with Mauricio Pochettino hoping to sign a centre-back and striker. The Blues spent more than £350million in the summer, but are willing to reinforce the squad with new signings once again.
Pochettino has struggled to solve Chelsea's goalscoring issues so far this season, with Nicolas Jackson and Armando Broja failing to show consistency in front of goal. Thiago Silva is entering the final six months of his contract and the Blues are expected to try and sign a long-term replacement for the veteran defender in January.
Trevoh Chalobah, Ian Maatsen, Marc Cucurella and Conor Gallagher are all facing uncertain futures at Stamford Bridge and could be sold to raise funds for new signings. Now, according to the Standard, Chelsea have made contact with Sporting CP over a deal for defender Ousmane Diomande, as they explore centre-back reinforcements in January.
The 20-year-old has been identified by the Blues as one of their primary transfer targets, with striker options also being discussed internally. Arsenal have also been linked with a move for the Sporting star, but it seems that Chelsea are pressing ahead with plans to strengthen Pochettino's squad ahead of their rivals.
Sporting have rebuffed an initial enquiry from Chelsea for Diomande, insisting they will only sell him for his full £69million (€80million) release clause. The west Londoners have also enquired over a deal to sign Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres.
The former Brighton and Coventry City target man has netted 17 goals and provided a further eight assists in just 20 appearances in his first season in Portugal. Sporting remain reluctant to sell their Gyokeres after he only joined the club ahead of the 2023/24
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