Why Chelsea are open to signing two strikers this summer
By Tom Gott
Exclusive - Chelsea are open to the idea of signing two strikers this summer - with both Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland and Manchester City's Sergio Aguero both under consideration at Stamford Bridge.
90min revealed back in December that Chelsea had joined the race for Haaland, with owner Roman Abramovich infatuated with the Norway international and ready to break the bank to make Haaland his latest superstar signing.
Signing Haaland remains Chelsea's focus for the summer, but the idea of bringing in another new striker to play alongside the Dortmund man has also been discussed. Aguero, given his status as a soon to be free agent, is one of the candidates under consideration.
Chelsea have met with Aguero's representatives and have gone as far as to discuss personal terms, but with the Argentine also attracting interest from elsewhere, the Blues are keen to consider other options.
Abramovich may end up only pursuing one striker, particularly given the cost of bringing in primary targets like Haaland or Inter's Romelu Lukaku, both of whom are expected to cost around or in excess of £100m, but there is an awareness that Chelsea may need to re-jig their attacking options this summer.
Olivier Giroud's contract is expiring and Tammy Abraham is hesitant to extend his current deal, which has two years left to run, while Chelsea are looking to make a big splash on another new striker.
Thomas Tuchel does have Timo Werner and Kai Havertz at his disposal, but neither are seen as out-and-out strikers, and 90min understands that club officials feel as though their title push has been harmed by a lack of goals from their strikers.
Signing Haaland is seen as an obvious fix to those woes, but the chance to bring in Aguero, who is a proven superstar at Premier League level, is one which Chelsea feel as though they should consider seriously.
Aguero has confirmed his intentions to leave City this summer but is yet to make a decision about his future. His initial plan was to take his talents to either Major League Soccer or his native Argentina, but the extent of the interest in him from around Europe has seen him re-evaluate.
Both Inter and AC Milan have expressed an interest in Aguero, while French giants Paris Saint-Germain are keen, and it is understood that Aguero has held talks with former employers Atletico Madrid about a possible return to the Spanish capital.
But Chelsea see themselves as genuine contenders to sign both Haaland and Aguero this summer, with Abramovich keen to finally build the dominant front line he has been looking for.