CHELSEA are rigorously searching for a new striker ahead of the summer transfer window.
The Blues have seen starting centre-forward Nicolas Jackson amassing a total of nine goals and five assists in 26 appearances this season.
However, the West Londoners need an elite hitman – especially with Christopher Nkunku .
And Sky Sports have reported links with Ipswich Town's Liam Delap, Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike, RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko and Lille's Jonathan David.
But all of the above have also been linked with some of Europe's biggest hitters, including Premier League rivals.
And according to The Mail, Chelsea may not be able to directly compete in terms of wages.
The same source claims one of the London giants' targets opted against a move to Stamford Bridge as he was left dissatisfied with the salary rate.
In fact, as per the same report, the player in question found out that there are higher financial prospects at other Prem clubs – including one in the bottom half of the table.
The player's agent told Confidential: “ don’t pay salaries.”
Nevertheless, there is no other indication suggesting Chelsea won't be able to offer enticing salaries.
After all, ‘s side are pushing for Champions League qualification and that alone would pose as a massive perk for an ambitious striker to come aboard.
Chelsea have been splashing enormous sums ever since and Clearlake Capital succeeded Roman Abramovich at the helm in the summer of 2022.
Staggering findings by the annual European Club Finance and Investment Landscape report – commissioned by UEFA – showed the Blues had the most expensive squad ever in terms of transfer fees in 2024.
By the end of the financial year, the West Londoners had racked up a combined transfer cost of a whopping €1.7billion (£1.5bn).
And Chelsea spent about £220million during this past summer transfer window alone.
