Chelsea can bin Nkunku by signing "fantastic" £100m Premier League striker

Based on what we’ve seen since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital acquired the club three years ago, we’re expecting yet another busy summer of transfer activity at Chelsea.

So far, under Boehly’s ownership, the Blues have spent in excess of £1bn on over 40 new first-team players, numbers that are likely to rise this summer, regardless of whether or not Enzo Maresca’s side secure Champions League qualification next Sunday.

A new striker is likely to be at the top of their list of priorities, so could they return to one of their favourite shopping destinations?

The latest on Christopher Nkunku’s Chelsea future

Earlier this month, Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sports Deutschland reported that Christopher Nkunku ‘has decided’ he will leave Chelsea this summer.

The French international arrived from RB Leipzig for a reported fee of £52m two summers ago, but has made very little impact at Stamford Bridge, as the table below outlines.

As highlighted in the table, Nkunku has spent almost half of his Chelsea career in the treatment room, while 41% of his goals have come in the Conference League, which isn’t the competition they spent big money hoping he would star in.

Aurélien Léger-Moëc of Foot Mercato claims that Bayern Munich and Newcastle are amongst those ‘interested’ in signing Nkunku this summer, and now is certainly the time for Chelsea to cash in and attempt to recoup a decent fee, so do they have their eyes on a replacement?

Chelsea could sign dream replacement for Nkunku

As reported by Sam Dean of the Telegraph, Chelsea are ‘interested’ in signing Brighton forward João Pedro, with Arsenal and Liverpool also considering making a move.

This week, the Brazilian was nominated for the Premier League’s Young Player of the Season award, with manager Fabian Hürzeler praising his forward as an “important player” for the Seagulls.

Meantime, Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout labels him “simply fantastic”, Oliver Haines from Breaking the Lines is impressed by his high-quality finishing, while Chris Wilder, who was his manager at Watford, believes he is a “super-talented player”.

Pedro joined Brighton for a reported £30m two years ago, and his outstanding form means the Albion now value him at £100m, according to James Holland of Team Talk.

Well, Chelsea are not usually shy when it comes to signing Brighton players, as the table below underlines.

With that in mind, could João Pedro be next?

Well, let’s compare his statistics this season to those of Nkunku to see if he would, indeed, be the dream replacement for the wantaway Frenchman.

As the table outlines, Pedro boasts almost universally better statistics than Nkunku this season, when it comes to goals, assists, shooting, and chances created.

Thus, the Brazilian would surely be an excellent signing for the Blues, and that is why the club should ruthlessly ditch Nkunku from the squad in order to make room for this new addition.

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