Chelsea transfer plan after Geovany Quenda deal revealed | OneFootball

The widely rumoured transfer of Geovany Quenda is expected to be the first of multiple attacking additions for Chelsea this summer, according to a report.

The Blues have had little time to soak up the satisfaction of beating Manchester United to Quenda's signature before focus shifts to further recruits. One of the main reasons why Chelsea were able to convince Sporting CP to sell them their prodigious 17-year-old was the club's willingness to let Quenda stay in Lisbon for the duration of next season.

There has also been increasing confidence in a deal for Sporting's defensive midfielder Dario Essugo, who would arrive at Stamford Bridge this summer. Fabrizio Romano was the latest to report that Chelsea have struck a verbal agreement with the 20-year-old and are negotiating with Sporting over a fee worth in the region of €22m (£18.6m).

But that is not where Chelsea's recruitment drive ends.

The Athletic claim that the Blues are also planning to sign a new striker this summer. Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu are currently sidelined with muscular injuries, although neither have proven to be consistently prolific in England's top flight.

Chelsea have been linked with Bayer Leverkusen forward Victor Boniface, who would be available for a reduced sum worth roughly €50m (£42m). The likes of Newcastle United's Alexander Isak and another Sporting CP player - Viktor Gyokeres - have also been floated, but other clubs appear better placed than Chelsea in the race for those strikers.

Looking beyond the perennially problematic centre-forward role, the Blues are also said to be monitoring wide players. Maresca reportedly wants five wingers to choose from heading into the new campaign. Noni Madueke (hamstring injury) and Mykhailo Mudryk (failed drugs test) are currently unavailable while Pedro Neto has been forced through the middle in the absence of Jackson and Guiu, leaving Maresca with Jadon Sancho as his only senior option out wide. There is still the possibility that the Manchester United loanee returns to Old Trafford next term.

The record-breaking Brazilian teenager Estevao Willian will offer another attacking outlet when his transfer is completed in the summer, but Maresca may be tempted to search for another alternative before Quenda's arrival in 2026.