Chelsea in talks for “world-class” £84m star alongside Maignan

Chelsea have been one of the busiest Premier League clubs in the transfer window over the last few summers. The Blues have become notorious for signing lots of players in the summer window, and 2025 will seemingly be no different. A deal for Liam Delap is all but confirmed.

Now, it seems they have moved on to new targets, including one at the other end of the pitch. Fabrizio Romano exclusively revealed on Tuesday morning that they have contacted AC Milan over a potential move for goalkeeper Mike Maignan. The France international is thought to be a player high up on their list of targets for a new shot-stopper.

However, Maignan is not the only Frenchman linked with a move to Stamford Bridge this summer.

Chelsea’s search for a new striker

As it has been over the past few years under Todd Boehly, it will be a busy summer for Chelsea. They have identified some key targets and are working on bringing them in, or, in Delap’s case, have done so already.

Next on the list is Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike. The 22-year-old has been repeatedly linked with a move to Chelsea this summer, most recently by journalist Florian Plettenberg.

The Sky Germany reporter claims the Blues ‘remain very active in the race’ for the Frenchman this summer, with talks having ‘taken place’ already.

However, the West London outfit are not the only club targeting a move, with Plettenberg explaining that ‘more teams are showing interest’ in Ekitike, although he does not name them. As for the price, the transfer insider confirms the £84m package still remains for the attacker.

Why Ekitike would be a good signing

It has been a strong season for Ekitike in 2024/25. He has left a great impression, reminding European football how good he is after a tough spell the previous campaign for Paris Saint-Germain.

Very much a revitalised star at Frankfurt, the 22-year-old has scored 22 goals and grabbed a further 12 assists in 48 appearances across all competitions for the club this season. That included 15 goals and eight assists in 33 Bundesliga games.

The Frenchman has shown he has the ability to score goals in important games. This term, he has bagged against Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in the top flight of Germany, and against eventual winners Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League.

This signing feels similar in many ways to that of Kai Havertz. Chelsea signed the German from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen back in 2020 for a fee of £71m. He went on to make 139 appearances for the club.

Although the 25-year-old burnt his bridges at Chelsea by joining major rivals Arsenal, he will surely go down in folklore in West London.

One of the 32 goals Havertz scored in that famous Blue shirt was the winner in the 2021 Champions League final, delivering the club their second title in the famous competition.

The are similarities between that deal and the one for Ekitike, with the fact that both have performed superbly in Germany’s top flight, a key likeness. In his final year as a Leverkusen player, Havertz bagged 12 goals and six assists in the league.

There are also similarities between Havertz and Ekitike’s numbers on FBref during their most recent Bundesliga season. For example, the German attacker averaged 0.66 goal involvements per 90 minutes during 2019/20, compared to 0.81 each game last term for Ekitike.

Ekitike was described as a “world-class” operator earlier in the season by football talent scout Jacek Kulig. Even though they are signing Delap, having depth up front will be important, and Ekitike will bring goals and assists to the side, too.

His all-round play is certainly similar to Havertz’s. If he can match the ultimate high of scoring in a Champions League final that the German had in a Chelsea shirt, then he will surely be a successful addition to the club.

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