Nicolas Jackson could help lure one player to Chelsea this summer.
The Senegal international was the only recognised striker in Chelsea‘s squad during the second half of last season, but reinforcements could be on their way.
The Blues are being linked with a few centre-forwards, including Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran and Stuttgart’s Serhou Guirassy.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are deciding whether to sign Duran or not.
As for Guirassy, it has been reported that the Blues are in a race against the likes of Arsenal and AC Milan for his signature.
A new teammate and rival for Nicolas Jackson
Jackson was Chelsea’s first-choice striker last season and did not do too badly leading the line for Mauricio Pochettino‘s side, even if he did miss chances.
In total, the 22-year-old scored 17 goals in 44 appearances.
There is a good chance, then, that Jackson could start the new campaign as Enzo Maresca‘s main centre-forward.
However, this is not putting Duran off from joining Chelsea.
In fact, according to the Evening Standard, Duran wants to work alongside Jackson as both a teammate and competitor.
As per The Telegraph, the Colombian could cost Chelsea up to £40m this summer.
READ MORE: Who is Nicolas Jackson? Profile, Transfer, Wage, Family and More
Jhon Duran could complement Nicolas Jackson nicely
In an ideal world, Chelsea would sign an elite centre-forward like Victor Osimhen.
However, now that is unlikely to happen, bringing in a young striker to provide cover for Jackson and rotate with the former Villarreal man may be the way to go.
Of course, Chelsea already have Armando Broja and David Datro Fofana. It may make more sense to give one of them that role and save £40m, but the Blues seem to be keen on fresh blood.
As per FBref, Duran has ranked in the 99th percentile for non-penalty goals per 90 minutes over the last year among his positional peers. That is at least one promising sign if the Blues do go on to sign him.