Chelsea discover bargain release clause to beat Arsenal and Man Utd to PROLIFIC striker transfer

Chelsea will be given a chance to sign one of the most prolific strikers in Europe for a bargain fee next summer, although they will face strong competition from a number of top rivals for the deal.

Despite spending nearly €100 million on Liam Delap and Joao Pedro this summer, neither player has been able to provide a consistent source of goals for Enzo Maresca so far this season.

Pedro has netted just twice in his last 12 matches while Delap finally grabbed his first goal of the season this week in the Champions League win over Barcelona, having previously only scored in the Club World Cup.

The situation could tempt Chelsea into pursuing a more proven scorer to compliment their young core and Sky Sport Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg has suggested that Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy could be a candidate for a move next summer.

Guirassy has nine goals in all competitions this season and the 29-year-old could leave Dortmund next summer, with an alleged release clause in his contract of €50m.

The clause is said to apply to seven clubs including Chelsea, with Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United quoted as the teams able to sign him for the cut-price fee.

Chelsea to face Barcelona competition in Guirassy

Guirassy has proven a revelation for Dortmund since his €18m move from Stuttgart in 2024, particularly in the Champions League where he finished as joint top scorer last season with 13 goals in 14 matches.

The Guinean international has been somewhat of a late bloomer in his career, having bounced around teams in Germany and France prior to joining Stuttgart in 2022.

Guirassy had never scored more than ten goals in a league season before a prolific campaign at Stuttgart where he scored 28 times in as many games, leading to Dortmund activating his release clause.

Man Utd were among the teams interested in Guirassy at the time of his move to Dortmund, while Barcelona are expected to push hard for him as they search for a successor to Robert Lewandowski.

Arsenal have also been strongly linked to Guirassy, giving Chelsea plenty of competition if they do look to pursue a deal for the hot-shot Dortmund star next summer.

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