Chelsea forced into decision on Real Madrid's ideal Mbappe alternative

Tom Weber

• Updated: 13 Jan 2024 14:18 GMT
• 4 min read

Chelsea must make a quick decision on whether to pursue Santiago Gimenez amid renewed reports that he is the subject of intense interest.

A lot has been said about the Feyenoord sensation over the last year or so. Gimenez has been in outstanding goalscoring form for last season's Dutch champions and this has, naturally, attracted the attention of Europe's biggest hitters.

Real Madrid, Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea have all, at various times, been linked with the Mexican. Now, however, Atletico Madrid appear to be the club ready to turn their interest into a concrete pursuit. According to Todo Fichajes, Diego Simeone's side are "hoping to make a splash" this month by snapping up their coach's "priority target" Gimenez.

Recent reports from the Netherlands have claimed that the striker could be available for a relatively modest €30 to €40 million, a far cry from the €100m rumoured in 2023. Atletico would have the necessary funds available once the impending departure of Angel Correa to Saudi Arabia is made official.

Chelsea must make a decision

If true, the news of Atletico's pursuit will force Chelsea and Real Madrid into a quick decision. Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that his side could dip into the market because of Christopher Nkunku's fresh injury.

“It’s true that now in the next few days we are going to see the situation,” Pochettino said. “That’s why I told you that I am a little worried. I still don’t have all the information about whether he is going to be available or not for a small initial period. We need to be very clinical to take some decisions to think and see how we fix the problem.”

Gimenez's potential availability must make him attractive to the Blues, who have been linked with a striker signing for months. Though they would prefer Victor Osimhen, the Nigerian is unlikely to be attainable this month.

However, Real Madrid must make a decision too. As FootballTransfers previously explained, Gimenez would be an ideal alternative to Kylian Mbappe for Los Blancos. The Spanish giants need a clinical number nine, which is a position that Mbappe is not particularly keen on playing.

Especially in light of the recent news that Liverpool are serious contenders to secure Mbappe's signature, Madrid would be well advised to not take any chances with regard to their striker position. Worst case scenario, they are left without Mbappe and without a striker in the summer.