Big upgrade on Gittens: Chelsea plan to enter talks to sign £55m winger

Chelsea’s attack could do with somewhat of a boost if their last Premier League clash is anything to go by with Enzo Maresca’s Blues limping over the line to a slim 1-0 win over Everton.

Nicolas Jackson was thankfully the crucial difference-maker on the day from a Chelsea perspective, with the ex-Villarreal striker ending a barren run of 13 games without a goal when powering a first-half effort past a hard-to-beat Jordan Pickford.

But, it’s clear that the Blues need an injection of something fresh in the attacking areas at Stamford Bridge regardless, with a wide array of new forward players being incessantly linked with a switch to West London.

Chelsea want to sign Serie A star this summer

Despite the arrival of talented Brazilian Estevao Willian – a winger by trade – the Blues are still on the lookout for new wingers with Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens reportedly on their radar, alongside Juventus hotshot Kenan Yildiz.

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However, the shortlist doesn’t end there with a former Premier League wide man also being looked at.

Indeed, as per a report from Caught Offside, Chelsea are planning to enter talks with one of Atalanta’s standout performers in Ademola Lookman, but are not alone in their interest of the former Everton attacker, now valued at around £55m.

Indeed, the report further goes on to name Manchester United, Liverpool, Newcastle United and Arsenal as other parties from England keeping close tabs on Lookman’s situation with the clubs in question poised to begin talks soon with the explosive Nigerian.

With a £55m price-tag reportedly above the attacker’s head, Chelsea would show they mean business in the market once more by landing the in-demand 27-year-old.

How Lookman compares to Jamie Gittens

Described as a “world-class” player by BBC Sport’s John Bennett, a move to bring the Atalanta star to the Premier League could see Chelsea land an upgrade on the exciting Gittens.

Whilst Dortmund’s English sensation has regularly stunned Bundesliga defences this season with his trickery and his goals and assists to boot, Lookman has lots more experience on his side to be a success in the here and now over the Reading-born attacker.

After all, the one-time Goodison Park flop has now notched up 115 appearances for his Italian employers since his move to Bergamo in 2022, with a very healthy return of 50 strikes and 24 assists coming his way.

Gittens has impressively already reached 103 senior appearances for the Black and Yellow despite still being a tender 20 years of age, but his numbers fall flat in comparison to Lookman’s, both overall with a lesser 31 goal contributions tallied up, but also when glancing at their head-to-head statistics over the current unfolding campaign.

The Nigeria international boasts a sizeable 18 goals and seven assists for Atalanta across 37 games this season, whilst his English counterpart has an inferior 12 strikes and five assists from eight more contests across the same time span.

Away from being an upgrade in terms of output, Lookman has also proven across his varied career to date that he can excite supporters watching on all across the attacking positions.

Amazingly, the former Charlton wonderkid turned Serie A superstar can boast a sturdy 14 career goals from 38 games playing as an out-and-out centre-forward, meaning he could be great competition to the likes of an inconsistent Jackson away from lighting up Stamford Bridge on the left wing.

Similar to the likes of Arsenal ace Bukayo Saka too according to stats-led website FBref, Chelsea could be on to real winner if talks with Lookman escalate to being serious and a move is put is on the table, with the Blues attack undoubtedly better off with the 27-year-old available for selection.

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