Chelsea must now make move for 'spectacular' £80m player as contract talks reportedly stall - opinion

Chelsea’s main focus right now is on bringing in a new manager.

The Blues need someone for the dugout after Mauricio Pochettino left the club by mutual consent on Tuesday.

However, what Chelsea could also do with is the arrival of a new centre-forward.

After being allowed to join Fulham on loan in the January transfer window, you suspect that Chelsea will have no issues with letting Armando Broja leave Stamford Bridge permanently this summer. If that happens, Nicolas Jackson will be the only natural No.9 in their squad.

There is no need for supporters to panic, though, as there are some good options their club could sign, including one man who is having a bit of a contract stand-off at present.

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Will Chelsea go into next season with just Nicolas Jackson?

Jackson did not do a bad job this term, scoring 17 goals in 44 appearances.

Again, though, he could end up being Chelsea’s only striker option at the start of the 2024/25 campaign, while his goals were not enough to get the Blues back into the Champions League.

With that in mind, then, you would expect the club to sign someone to share the centre-forward role with the 22-year-old.

In terms of options, Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez could be perfect.

Why now could be a good time for Chelsea to move for Lautaro Martinez

Martinez’s goal record in the last few Serie A seasons has been exceptional.

This term, the Argentine has scored 24 times in 33 appearances to help Inter win the Serie A title.

The Chelsea Chronicle has been told that Martinez is someone appreciated by the Blues and now could be the perfect time to make a move for him.

The reliable Fabrizio Romano recently reported on Substack that contract talks with Inter have hit a stalemate, potentially giving Chelsea the chance to swoop in for him.

In terms of how much Martinez could cost, Sportslens claimed back in January that the 26-year-old is valued at £80m minimum.

It is a lot of money, but the Argentina international, whose form was described as “spectacular” by Simone Inzaghi earlier in the season, could be well worth it.