Chelsea have been linked with a somewhat shock move for Neymar over the past few days, with the Brazilian's future at Paris Saint-Germain said to be uncertain. According to a recent report from GOAL, the French champions are 'not against selling' Neymar should the 'right transfer bid' come their way.
The Blues may well be looking for some extra firepower in attack ahead of the 2022/23 season following some struggles in front of goal last term. As well as this, Chelsea have a host of attackers who face uncertain futures at the club.
Neymar is an exciting option for Chelsea, albeit perhaps a slightly unrealistic one. According to The Week, the Brazil international is currently on over £600,000-a-week at PSG.
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Those sort of numbers are not really feasible for Chelsea, even with the takeover of American billionaire Todd Boehly. That's not even considering whatever transfer fee the French club would demand for Neymar.
The Brazilian recently committed his future to PSG, as well, saying this to OhMyGoal: "It's very true on my side that I want to stay at Paris Saint-Germain. Afterwards, no one has said anything to me. On my side, it's clear that I want to stay here at PSG."
There are alternatives to Neymar. Much cheaper ones, too. Ousmane Dembele is one of these.
The France international looks set to leave Barcelona in the coming weeks, or months, on a free transfer, with his contract due to expire at the end of June. The 25-year-old, who cost Barca £126million in 2017 from Borussia Dortmund, has an undeniable talent in the attacking third.
However, as has been well-documented, injuries have hampered his time at the Nou Camp. In the 2021/22 season alone, Dembele missed a total of 152 days of the campaign because of injury problems.
When he was on the pitch, though, the Frenchman more than produced for Barcelona. He ended the season on 13 assists in La Liga. He's become somewhat of an assist master during his time with Barca and Dortmund beforehand.
"It could be the last [game]," Barca president Joan Laporta recently said on Dembele before the side's defeat to Villarreal earlier in the month. "You have to be optimistic. He has played excellent games, and when he has not been involved, we have noticed."
football.london reported back in the January transfer window that Chelsea did indeed hold an interest in Dembele. The Blues did not make a move for the Frenchman, though, with Thomas Tuchel confirming there were no talks held with the talented winger.
"I did not have contact with Ousmane to answer your question very directly," Tuchel said in February. "There was no contact in the winter. There was no contact between us."
This could change in the summer, though, if Chelsea's interest is still there. A player of Dembele's calibre on a free transfer, well, it seems like a no-brainer.
Now, Dembele's agent, Moussa Sissoko (no, not that one) has issued an update on his client's future. He said: "Ousmane's future remains open.
"We are and have always been respectful to all clubs, and this will continue to be the case while the process is ongoing. When it is the right time to make a decision, Ousmane will consider the best option for his future."
There are other options for Chelsea to improve their attack. Christopher Nkunku is of interest to the club ahead of the summer transfer window, football.london understands, but he would command a huge fee, most likely.
Dembele could be the option for Chelsea that makes the most sense. Financially, it seems the most feasible, and if they can keep him fit and firing, then Tuchel has one hell of a superstar on his hands. A big "if", though...
