Chelsea pushing to sign “new Aguero” for £25m

Chelsea continued their 100% record in the UEFA Conference League with a resounding 5-1 victory over Shamrock Rovers, leaving the Blues top of the Conference League table.

Chelsea once again put on an impressive attacking display, dominating 73% of possession and amassing an incredible 20 goal attempts as the Irish side were blown away with four first-half goals.

Young forward Marc Guiu was the man of the moment, scoring his first Chelsea hat-trick, but despite the youngster’s impressive Conference League form, he has only made one Premier League appearance this season.

With doubts about Christopher Nkunku’s fitness, it seems that Enzo Maresca is reliant on Nicolas Jackson to fill that number nine void ahead of a busy festive schedule. With Chelsea fighting on more than one front, the striker area may be a position that owner Todd Boehly looks to add some firepower.

Chelsea lining up striker dubbed the ‘new Aguero’

Despite Jackson’s standout start to the season with 12 goal contributions in his 15 Premier League appearances and youngster Guiu finding his feet in European competitions, it seems that Chelsea are looking to add to the forward options in the upcoming January window.

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, Chelsea are interested in Spartak Moscow striker Manfred Ugalde, with the 22-year-old attracting interest across a number of other Premier League clubs, including Arsenal and Manchester City.

The Costa Rica international has been in scintillating form this season, notching 15 goals in 18 games for Spartak in the Russian Premier Liga ahead of the winter break.

Clubs across the Premier League are on red alert with the young striker having a reported £25m release clause in his contract after his move from FC Twente back in January.

Why Ugalde would be a good signing for Chelsea

The signing of Ugalde, dubbed the “new [Sergio] Aguero” by one football scout, would bring even more firepower to a front line that has already been purring this season – Chelsea are the top scorers in the Premier League.

The Spartak Moscow striker has already scored more goals this season than both Jackson and Guiu and is outperforming the Chelsea pair in a number of key metrics.

Indeed, in all competitions, the in-demand talent has netted 16 times in 2024/25, while Jackson and Guiu have contributed ‘just’ 15 goals between them across all fronts.

With more shots and shots on target per 90 minutes, it is clear to see why Ugalde has been so deadly this season in the Russian Premier Liga.

The hope will be that the 5 foot 8 marksman can follow in the footsteps of the aforementioned Aguero – who also stands at just 5 foot 8 – with the Argentine netting 260 goals in 390 games during his time at Manchester City.

However, it is not only Ugalde’s goalscoring ability that would bring that extra ingredient to Maresca’s side, Ugalde has also attempted more crosses than his Chelsea counterparts, proving his creative nature as well as predatory finishing.

Furthermore, Jackson, often lauded for his defensive ability and pressing from the front, has only made one more successful tackle than Ugalde – suggesting the Costa Rican can put a shift in defensively too.

Whether Chelsea can position themselves at the front of a long queue for Ugalde remains to be seen, but it is clear the Costa Rica striker would bring something extra to this flourishing Chelsea side, and who knows, possibly fire them to a Premier League title.