Despite spending nearly £600 million across the past two transfer windows, the Blues still do not possess a reliable No.9.
What sort of football club drops £250 million ($307m) in the summer transfer window, followed by £323m ($403m) in January, and still ends up without a striker capable of putting the ball in the back of the net on a regular basis?
Chelsea's struggles in front of goal continued on Tuesday in a drab 0-0 draw against Liverpool. The Blues have now not scored in 11 Premier League matches this season, with relegation-threatened Leeds United and Leicester City both registering more goals than them.
Kai Havertz, the player most frequently deployed at centre-forward by Chelsea this campaign, has attracted the majority of the criticism for this dire run.
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And, in truth, it now seems pretty clear that the Germany international isn't capable of leading the line and providing the Blues with the goal-scoring thrust they require to propel themselves back into top-four contention next season.
And while Romelu Lukaku has shown signs of life recently at Inter, it is difficult to see him returning from loan and thriving at Stamford Bridge.
Disappointedly then for Todd Boehly, Chelsea's American owner is going to have to reach into his pockets once again this summer.
Here are some of the No.9s the Blues should be considering…
Getty ImagesVictor Osimhen
Few players in world football are in as high demand as Osimhen right now.
Twenty-five goals in all competition for runaway Serie A leaders Napoli tells it own story. Osimhen has taken all facets of his game to new heights this season, justifying the €71m (£65m) Napoli paid Lille for him back in 2020.
The Italian champions-elect will be doing everything in their power to keep hold of their star man this off-season, but the financial pull of the Premier League could be too much for the Nigerian to resist.
Manchester United are understandably interested too, so we could witness an Osimhen bidding war this summer.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesHarry Kane
Chelsea's hopes of pulling this off may be slimmer than a Mandarin pancake, but the Blues should still be considering a shock swoop for Kane this summer.
Tottenham are in free fall at the moment and if the England captain does not receive assurances that they can be competitive next campaign, he will surely be angling for an exit.
What does give Chelsea some hope in their pursuit are reports that Kane wants to remain in England to give himself the best possible chance of breaking Alan Shearer's Premier League scoring record. That seemingly rules Bayern Munich out of the running.
If Manchester United cannot sign Kane, Chelsea would be left as his only viable suitors, in what would be one of the most controversial transfers in modern history.
GettyDusan Vlahovic
Speaking of clubs in turmoil, Juventus are facing the prospect of losing Vlahovic this summer. The Serbian was supposed to be the club's No.9 for the next decade when he arrived in Turin back in January 2021 – but a hell of a lot has changed since then.
Following a 15-point deduction, the Bianconeri are facing an uphill battle to secure Champions League football, and they may even be further recriminations on the way.
Amid this turmoil, Vlahovic's head could be turned – not that he's pulled up any trees this season, scoring just eight Serie A goals thus far.
Despite these modest numbers, he is clearly talented, as his remarkable goal-scoring record for Fiorentina shows. He's still only 23 too, so there's plenty of time for Chelsea to mould him into a world-class goal-getter.
Getty ImagesGoncalo Ramos
Ramos has gone from strength to strength since bursting into popular consciousness with a stunning World Cup hat-trick for Portugal, after he was drafted in to replace the misfiring Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ramos has backed up his international emergence with 25 goals for Benfica this season, as well as 10 assists.
Although he does not offer the physical presence of your typical No.9, he more than makes up for it with supreme close control, ice-cold finishing and excellent movement. His success in the Champions League this season also suggests that he wouldn't have any issue dealing with the increased pressure of a Premier League move.
This could be a really smart signing – but he won't come cheap. Benfica proved themselves to be tough negotiators during the Enzo Fernandez saga in January.
