Chelsea make shock play for divisive former Liverpool forward with return to England ‘concrete possibility’ | OneFootball

Chelsea are reportedly showing a ‘surprise interest’ in landing a former Liverpool forward who wants to return to England and has Premier League clubs “lining up” for him.

The Blues are one of the best scoring sides in the Premier League this season. Only top two clubs Arsenal and Manchester City have scored more than their 53 goals.

Summer striker signing Joao Pedro has been a revelation for Chelsea of late, while fellow No.9 Liam Delap has disappointed and might not last beyond his first year.

The Blues are therefore on the hunt for new striker talent, and have identified a shock target: Darwin Nunez.

Caught Offside reports Chelsea are showing surprise interest in the Al-Hilal man, who was a frustrating figure within the Premier League when playing for Liverpool – both scoring good goals and missing some big chances.

Newcastle are also believed to be strong suitors, and the chances of Nunez returning to England – where he scored 40 goals with Liverpool – seem to be ramping up.

The 26-year-old himself is believed to be keen on a return, where he might well have a few options.

A source reportedly said: “Premier League clubs are lining up for Nunez, there’s a very concrete possibility of him leaving Al-Hilal for a return to Europe this summer.

“Chelsea have liked Nunez for a while and still see him as someone to add spark and depth up front.”

Chelsea heeding advice on Nunez

TEAMtalk reportedly of late that Nunez was considering his future in the Middle East, and not long after, Marcel Desailly recommended him as a signing for Chelsea.

The former Blues centre-back said: “I would actually recommend Nunez for Chelsea. He’s a very good player, a smart player – he just needs the right environment to perform. When Liverpool identified his potential they knew what they had statistically.

“But when you start on a bad note, the confidence disappears and the consideration from those around you follows. It’s like Dennis Bergkamp going to Inter Milan – things went completely wrong. Or Roberto Carlos in his early days, shooting the ball into the stands.

“The confidence wasn’t there. That’s what happened to Nunez at Liverpool. But the quality is still there. He’s at Al-Hilal now and has scored around six goals in 16 matches [actually nine in 24] – not bad at all.”

Chelsea round-up: Man Utd want Blues star

Transfer insider Ben Jacobs has revealed that Manchester United are interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos, though it seems it’s not hugely likely that transfer will take place.

Meanwhile, it’s reported that if Jurgen Klopp is to take charge at Real Madrid, his priority will be signing Blues star Enzo Fernandez.

In terms of inbound transfers, TEAMtalk is aware that Chelsea are one of the leading names to sign striker Fisnik Asllani from Hoffenheim.