Lewandowski, Kane and five alternatives for Haaland at Chelsea

22 Jul 2021 14:25 BST
4 min read

Cavani, Suarez, Lewandowski & the 10 best number nines of the last decade — © ProShots

Erling Haaland is Chelsea’s leading transfer target for the remainder of the summer, but the Borussia Dortmund forward promises to be difficult to get.

The Bundesliga side are insistent that Haaland will not be sold ahead of next summer, when a clause in his contract kicks in that will likely see him leave for a figure variously reported to be between €80-100 million.

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Dortmund would, however, sell if a mammoth offer came their way, but after offloading Jadon Sancho to Manchester United, it would take an astronomical figure for BVB to be tempted into a sale.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have alternatives on their radar, having been unhappy with Timo Werner’s first season at Stamford Bridge, but who are they and what is their pedigree?

Robert Lewandowski

There has been no better goal scorer in world football over the past couple of years than Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, who has only seemed to have improved with age.

L’Equipe has reported that the Pini Zahavi, the player’s agent, expects a big move to take place this summer, though the wider logic is that Bayern will keep Lewandowski for another year before replacing him with Haaland.

Chelsea, of course, have other thoughts with regards the Norway star, while Lewandowski has also been linked with Paris Saint-Germain.

Harry Kane

Could Harry Kane really move from Tottenham to London rivals Chelsea? The England captain has certainly indicated that he is not happy at Spurs, although a lengthy contract means that he has little in the way of bargaining power when it comes to his future.

Nevertheless, there is strong interest in Kane from a number of England’s biggest club, though it will likely take a record-breaking offer to get Tottenham to sell.

Kane is content to stay in England and prefers to stay in London, which puts Chelsea to the head of the queue. But Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy will not want his prized asset to leave to a rival.

Sasa Kalajdzic

Giant Stuttgart striker Sasa Kaladjzic has been linked with a possible move to Chelsea by The Athletic. He is certainly not the archetypal centre forward of the moment, instead offering something of a throwback due to his giant frame.

Nevertheless, he has a keen eye for goal, having scored 16 times in 33 matches next season.

With an asking price of €35m (£30m), he represents another Bundesliga gamble – and arguably a greater one than Chelsea took on Werner and Kai Havertz last summer.

Danny Ings

While Danny Ings has rediscovered something like his best form at Southampton after four injury-riddled years at Liverpool, the 28-year-old would still appear to be something of a budget option.

Indeed, he would be a player who could work alongside or as an alternative to Werner as opposed to a replacement.

Available on a free transfer, Ings appears to be the least risky of these options, while his potential return is only surpassed clearly by Kane and Lewandowski.

Domenico Berardi

The Sassuolo star was a member of the Italy squad that recently won Euro 2020, and while he can play centre forward, this is not his primary position. Instead, he typically features in the wide areas.

With that in mind, he seems as much a complement to Haaland as an alternative to him.