Chelsea are likely to target the signing of a young striker in the traditional number nine role this summer instead of Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mane.
That’s according to CaughtOffside columnist Ben Jacobs, who says the Blues want to invest in younger players, and also want to look at ‘numbers’, hinting that they’re well aware of their need to improve on their pretty dire scoring record this term.
Mane may have been prolific during his time at Liverpool, but it’s not happened for him at Bayern and it may be that he doesn’t have a future there beyond the end of this season, though that’s not yet guaranteed.
And even if the Senegal international is to leave the Allianz Arena, Jacobs suggests Chelsea won’t be in the market for him, and neither will his former club Liverpool.
One team to watch, however, could be Roma, with Jose Mourinho supposedly a big fan of Mane.
“Although a summer exit is possible, Tuchel is still intent on trying to get the best out of Mane. A lot will depend on whether the player regrets the move and just pushes for another new challenge. Then it won’t suit Bayern to keep an unhappy or demotivated Mane,” Jacobs wrote.
“What is clear for now is that Chelsea are not currently considering Mane. There have been no talks despite rumours Mauricio Pochettino has earmarked the player as a transfer target should he land the job at Stamford Bridge.
“Pochettino, at the time of writing, hasn’t signed as the new Chelsea boss, although is widely expected to do so. But Chelsea’s recruitment is done in numbers, and they want a traditional striker – more like Lewandowski than Mane in style, but younger than both.
“Chelsea want to buy younger players so that transfer fees are investments not expenses. There will always be exceptions to this model, but I don’t anticipate Mane being one of them.
“Liverpool are also not considering re-signing Mane. But keep an eye on Roma. No approach has been made to date, but Jose Mourinho is a big fan.”