Chelsea 'remain in talks' to sign 20-year-old striker

With Enzo Maresca having been appointed as the successor to Mauricio Pochettino, the club's recruitment team are looking to make fast headway in their pursuit of new additions.

Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo has already been confirmed as an arrival on a free transfer, the 26-year-old offering value for money and some much-needed experience in the dressing room.

However, reports have indicated that Maresca and Chelsea are still attracted by the possibility of adding even more young players into the dressing room.

Andrey Santos, who is 20 years of age and without a Premier League start to his name, could be integrated into the squad after his impressive loan stint at Strasbourg.

Meanwhile, Chelsea remain eager to sign a second centre-forward to compete with Nicolas Jackson after it was confirmed that they had missed out on RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko.

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, co-owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital remain insistent on trying to acquire the services of Aston Villa frontman Jhon Duran.

There had been interest in the 20-year-old during January, only for a transfer failing to materialise courtesy of Chelsea unable to generate the necessary funds and with Villa keen to keep the youngster as backup to Ollie Watkins.

As it stands, though, it appears that the situation has changed, primarily due to Villa being required to raise money to meet the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability regulations.

Douglas Luiz is already seemingly involved in a complex part-exchange deal that could see him move to Juventus and two players move to the West Midlands, with Villa still making money from the deal.

That could seemingly be the case with Duran, who cost in the region of £17m in January 2023 and would leave Villa for at least double that fee.

How would Duran feel about a transfer?

In a previous report, Romano claimed that Duran was eager to link up with Chelsea as soon as possible, the player also prepared to shun interest from Italy.

The potential terms of his contract are allegedly already being discussed, possibly an indication that all parties expect a deal to go through.

Duran was provided with just three starts in the Premier League last season - a further 20 outings coming from the substitutes' bench - yet he still scored five goals.

Since the start of April, Duran netted three times in games against Manchester City and Liverpool, contributions which would have only enhanced Chelsea's admiration of his qualities.