Chelsea have made an eye-watering bid for a striker who lit the Championship up last season, earning him the prestigious FourFourTwo EFL Player of the Year accolade.
Consistent goals have been somewhat hard to come by for Mauricio Pochettino's side this season - while Nicolas Jackson has managed seven, three of them came in one game against a nine-man Tottenham Hotspur side.
The Chelsea hierarchy, therefore, are intent on bringing in an out-and-out goalscorer to the club this January, as they look to climb up the table and into the European positions come the end of this term. However, it seems the Blues haven't had much luck so far in the market.
Portuguese outlet Record is reporting that Chelsea have had a £73m bid rejected for Sporting Lisbon striker Victor Gyokeres.
Despite only joining the Liga Portugal side in the summer for £20m, Chelsea have been impressed with Gyokeres' goalscoring form and have identified him as their priority target for the January transfer window.
Formerly of Coventry City, Gyokeres scored 21 goals in the Championship last season, earning him the title of FourFourTwo's Player of the EFL for the 2022/23 season. He's capable of scoring every kind of goal, from touch-and-hit finishes to solo runs slaloming through defences, with his presence befitting a '90s striker.
The Swede has started life well in Lisbon, too, bagging 11 times in just 16 games as Sporting top the table. With Gyokeres' contract running until 2028, Sporting are in no rush to let their striker leave, though.
Instead, it seems Chelsea will have to match his £87m release clause if they're to bring him to Stamford Bridge this January. With the misfiring Nicolas Jackson currently away at AFCON, the Blues could be tempted into submitting another bid for Gyokeres - especially with a lack of quality strikers on the transfer market.
Despite the Portuguese report, though, the Daily Mail claims Chelsea haven't made an official approach to Sporting yet, with the fees involved simply too high.
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