Chelsea 'plot £130m double Bundesliga raid' as Victor Osimhen alternative emerges

Following another chaotic period of spending and selling under the Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali regime, Chelsea have made a relatively bright start to life under Maresca's wing.

The Blues have amassed 10 points from their opening five Premier League games to sit fifth in the standings, in addition to progressing to the Europa Conference League league phase and thrashing Barrow in their opening EFL Cup fixture.

Chelsea's pursuit of a new big-money striker ended in failure over the summer, as the Blues failed to agree terms with Napoli for Victor Osimhen, who subsequently joined Galatasaray on loan for the remainder of the season.

The Blues nevertheless reinforced their attack with the captures of Pedro Neto, Joao Felix, Jadon Sancho and Marc Guiu, while Nicolas Jackson has impressed early doors with four goals and two assists in his first five Premier League games this season.

Chelsea to move for Victor Boniface in 2025?

However, the West London giants are still being tipped to make a big-money attacking acquisition in 2025, and according to a report from TEAMTalk, Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface is now a leading target.

The 23-year-old played a key role in his side's Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double win last season with 21 goals and 10 assists from 34 games in all tournaments, despite missing a portion of the campaign through injury.

Boniface has also hit the ground running in 2024-25 with four goals and one assist from his first six matches of the season, and the 6ft 3in Nigeria international is still under contract at Leverkusen for another four seasons.

While Osimhen has apparently been given assurances by Chelsea that they will revisit the situation in 2025, some at Stamford Bridge believe that Boniface - who is a couple of years younger - should be their top target instead.

Chelsea could supposedly sign the ex-Union SG man for around £70m, and he would also command a lower wage than Osimhen, but Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres represent viable alternatives.

Chelsea to rival Real Madrid for Castello Lukeba?

At the other end of the field, RB Leipzig's 21-year-old centre-back Castello Lukeba has supposedly been earmarked as an ideal acquisition, according to a separate report from TEAMTalk.

The France youth international rose to prominence at Lyon before making the switch to the Bundesliga giants for €30m (£25.1m) in 2023, and he made 41 appearances in his debut season for Die Roten Bullen.

Chelsea have apparently been casting a watchful eye over Lukeba's displays, but the Blues are facing intense competition from Real Madrid, who have made a new centre-back a priority for 2025.

As is the case with Boniface, Lukeba is also not due to become a free agent until 2028, and Leipzig are believed to be holding out for a fee of £60m to part ways with the defender next summer.

A January move has not been ruled out either, and those close to Lukeba apparently believe that he will not still be at the Red Bull Arena beyond the end of the season.