Three strikers Chelsea are likelier to sign than Kane

Stuart Telford

• Updated: 19 Sep 2022 17:38 CDT
• 4 min read

Chelsea have been linked with a move for Harry Kane, with the Blues ready to offer Romelu Lukaku in part exchange, but there are more likely targets come the end of the season…

Lukaku has his heart set on staying with Inter Milan, where he is currently back on loan, while Kane has become an institution at Tottenham Hotspur and might not fancy the heat that comes with moving across town.

Trophies are the one thing that have eluded Kane in his career, and a move to Bayern Munich as the long-term replacement for Robert Lewandowski might help him in this regards more than a switch to Stamford Bridge.

But even if that potential deal doesn't have legs, there are a handful of strikers significantly more likely to find their way to Chelsea next summer.

1) Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo was desperate to move to a club competing in the Champions League this season after Manchester United failed to qualify, and his agent Jorge Mendes came close to securing a move to Chelsea.

New Chelsea owner Todd Boehly was keen on having the world's most marketable athlete in his ranks, but Thomas Tuchel pulled the plug on the idea and pushed for the signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang instead.

But Tuchel has now been sacked, to be replaced by Brighton's Graham Potter, and the new man might not be so willing or inclined to disagree with Boehly. At the same time, Ronaldo is out of contract at the end of the season, making his return on investment even more tempting.

2) Ivan Toney

Perhaps the most promising English striker in the game not called Tammy Abraham, whom Chelsea already owned, Ivan Toney is beginning to look every inch the Premier League predator with five goals in seven games already for Brentford this season.

Toney took the tourist route to the top, via Northampton, Newcastle and Peterborough, with no few loans in between, but he is still only 26 and has now been called up to Gareth Southgate's England squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League games with Italy and Germany.

Expect Raheem Sterling, Reece James, Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell to be in his ear, with Manchester United also mooted as a possible destination for the €32 million-rated player come the end of the season.

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3) Moussa Dembele

Perhaps the striker with the biggest margin between how talented they are and how appreciated they are by their current employers, Moussa Dembele would be a good outside bet for Chelsea.

Currently at Lyon, where he has scored 69 goals in 150 games since joining from Celtic in 2018, Dembele went on loan to Atletico Madrid last year with Memphis Depay blocking his path to first-team minutes and now has Alexandre Lacazette, back after five years with Arsenal, in his way.

Dembele is a 6' striker with a Didier Drogba-esque physicality, already speaks English from his time with Celtic and Fulham before that, and, like Ronaldo, also happens to be out of contract at the end of the season.

Kane to Chelsea would of course be fun for Blues fans, but anyb of the above could get goals at Stamford Bridge, especially now they have a manager who isn't allergic to centre-forwards…