£85m price tag could put Chelsea off returning for a top 2023 target again | OneFootball

Chelsea are well into gear with their summer now.

They’ve got balls in the air with a goalkeeper, a left winger, they’re already signed a striker, and a central defender looks likely to arrive soon.

Chelsea consider return for former top target

That won’t be the end of it either, by the sounds of thing. Today The Sun have added another name to the mix. It’s not a new one – we were heavily linked with Mohammed Kudus before he went to West Ham in the summer of 2023.

He had an amazing first season there, and many Blues were kicking themselves that we hadn’t landed him ourselves. But last season he had a major drop off, and now a departure feels more likely. The Hammers may consider selling their former star player to fund a rebuild under new manager Graham Potter is a smart move.

£85m price tag makes move look difficult for Blues

As ever, the problem for Chelsea is cost. There is apparently an £85m release clause in Kudus’ West Ham contract which is active until the 10th of July. But after a down year, and at 24 years old, we’re not sure signing him fits our current model at all.

Kudus can play out wide, but stylistically he doesn’t really fit into Enzo Maresca’s formation either. He could play in the Cole Palmer or the Enzo Fernandez roles, but those spots are taken. Out wide, Maresca will want someone speedier and with more work rate than Ghana star Kudus.

But with Jadon Sancho’s move not made permanent, and Christopher Nkunku and Joao Felix potentially being sold, there could be space opening up in the squad for another player of his ilk. We won’t rule this out entirely, especially if Kudus starts putting pressure on to make a move, but for now it’s not sounding realistic.