Six months since Chelsea tried and failed to sign Victor Osimhen before the summer transfer window closed on deadline day, the goals have dried up.
After scoring 22 times in their first 15 Premier League matches, the Blues have managed just 12 in their last 10. Nicolas Jackson has just one of those dozen – against Brentford in mid-December – and the striker is now seemingly out until after the March international break because of a hamstring injury.
Noni Madueke also has a similar problem, meaning Chelsea are currently without two of their three top scorers. Christopher Nkunku is now leading the line but – albeit in limited minutes – has just two league goals, equal to Marc Cucurella.
Meanwhile, since a move to Stamford Bridge collapsed, Osimhen has scored 19 goals and assisted another five in 24 appearances across the Europa League and Turkish Super Lig for Galatasaray. Despite such fine form, the striker’s stay in Istanbul will be fleeting.
Only on loan until the end of this season, a return to Napoli and eventual summer departure to a third team appears inevitable. A reported release clause worth around £62million (€75m) should ensure another move materialises.
That represents a significant discount on the fee in the region of £100million his parent club were demanding last summer. As such, Chelsea could raise the requisite funds to meet that clause through player sales alone.
Joao Felix is the obvious one. Out on loan at Milan, the Blues will need to sell for around £35million as a minimum to avoid a loss 12 months on from paying £45million to Atletico Madrid.
Axel Disasi is another who appears to be a candidate to leave permanently this summer. Aston Villa, ideally after already paying a £5million loan fee, or any other club, would have to offer upwards of £20million.
There are multiple options for the third departure. Carney Chukwuemeka has a reported £40million release clause, but after a slow start with Borussia Dortmund, that increasingly seems steep.
Seemingly, the most straightforward to move on would be Renato Veiga. The Portugal international is impressing on loan at Juventus and should at least go for £25million if Chelsea choose to cash in – with the Blues potentially netting around £80m from three player sales.
