EXCLUSIVE: Chelsea offered 2 former starters for €10m each to reduce Hugo Ekitike price | OneFootball

Yesterday was the first day we got to see new Chelsea striker Liam Delap in action, and he didn’t disappoint.

The forward came on in the second half and grabbed an assist with a lovely cross into the box for Enzo Fernandez to finish.

But he wasn’t the only one to make a positive impact – Nicolas Jackson had started the game up top, and he too got a nice assist. The plan of having two strikers competing already looks to be paying off.

Chelsea still hunt for third striker option

Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell on the training pitches.

We could yet add a third. The rumours about our interest in Hugo Ekitike only intensified when we signed Delap, and there’s been serious chatter since about bids for the France star.

The stumbling block has always been the price, however, with Frankfurt initially asking for €100m and not seeming to want to drop below €80m at best. Today we’ve heard exclusively that Chelsea have been up to their old tricks in trying to kill two birds with one stone.

Chelsea offered two highly paid former starters for just €10m

The Blues apparently offered unwanted players in part-exchange for Ekitike, with Ben Chilwell and Raheem Sterling the headline names. Both are on huge wages, but after a year on loan both have accepted they may need to take a lower offer if they want to play. Chelsea know their salary makes them a less tempting option for a club like Frankfurt, so are willing to value them at a very modest €10m, hoping that €60m plus the pair or €70m plus one of them would get a deal done.

As always, these swaps are pretty far fetched, especially when it comes to older players on big wages. But credit to Chelsea for at least trying their luck…