Chelsea have missed out on the signing of Richarlison despite a late attempt to stop him moving to Tottenham.
The Everton forward had been linked with the Goodison Park exit door this summer as the club fought to balance the books. A £60m agreement has been struck with the north London outfit, who are looking to bolster their ranks ahead of their return to the Champions League.
Chelsea too are seeking new forward options and had their sights on Richarlison, who scored 11 times last term for the Toffees. The Brazilian has proven himself in England and may have served as a replacement for Romelu Lukaku. As a result the Blues made late moves to leapfrog Tottenham on Wednesday night, only to see their efforts knocked back, according to reports.
The west Londoners have allowed Lukaku to return to Inter Milan on loan after he underwhelmed during his return. He only scored eight times and will head back to Italy, leaving Thomas Tuchel in the market for new reinforcements.
Chelsea often played last term without a recognised No.9, but are keen to add more goals to their squad, even if that is from wide positions. Their interest in Raheem Sterling is well documented with the Manchester City star considering his future at the Etihad.
Sterling is from London and a return to the capital may suit him as he looks to be the main man in the peak years of his career. Chelsea are also in the race for Leeds United winger Raphinha. The Brazilian had been of interest to Arsenal, but the Blues look to have usurped them.
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The Blues have struggled to find a potent No.9 for several years. Two years ago they signed Timo Werner from RB Leipzig following a prolific season in the Bundesliga. He underwhelmed which led the them chasing Lukaku, but the club-record move failed to work out.
Tammy Abraham was deemed surplus to requirements under Tuchel, but has enjoyed a stellar year in Italy at Jose Mourinho's Roma side, scoring 27 times. Chelsea are also still searching for new faces in defence after losing Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen in recent weeks.
Both men left on frees, but the Blues have identified several major targets. They have a long standing interest in Jules Kounde at Sevilla, but the Spanish side are demanding huge funds. It is a similar story with Juventus centre-half Matthijs de Ligt, who is also on Chelsea's radar.
