Samu Omorodion: Why are Chelsea interested in €50m-rated Atletico Madrid striker with just nine senior goals?

GOAL
Matt O'Connor-Simpson

AnalysisChelseaTransfersPremier LeagueAtletico MadridFEATURES

The Blues have already had one offer rejected for the 20-year-old as they go in search of attacking reinforcements

It's been clear for some time that one of Chelsea's priorities for this summer's transfer window is a new centre-forward. While Nicolas Jackson went some way to silencing his doubters as last season progressed, he remains a work in progress who would benefit from having some of the scoring burden relieved from his shoulders.

Over the past few months, the Blues have been linked with a host of huge names with fearsome records in front of goal. Napoli hotshot Victor Osimhen, for example, as well as Feyenoord sensation Santiago Gimenez and RB Leipzig starlet Benjamin Sesko.

However, once the window opened, and new manager Enzo Maresca was installed at the helm, Chelsea fans were forced to temper their expectations significantly. First, Aston Villa's Jhon Duran – who scored just five Premier League goals last campaign – was touted for a move to Stamford Bridge. Then, Samu Omorodion was linked.

Reports in June claimed that Chelsea submitted a bid worth as much as €40 million (£34m/£43m), once potential add-ons were taken into account, for the Atletico Madrid man – an offer Los Rojiblancos turned down. When the surprise news broke, Blues fans scrambled to Google to find out more about their potential new No.9. And what they found would have hardly inspired confidence.

The bottom line is that Omorodion only scored eight goals last season, which might make it difficult to see why Chelsea have rekindled their interest in the centre-forward, with Gianluca Di Marzio reporting that the club could be willing to go as high as €50m (£43m/$55m) to get a deal done. There is, however, more to the physical striker than meets the eye, as GOAL discovered when delving into his story so far.

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