Chelsea transfer news: Mauro Icardi is wanted by Roman Abramovich

The Blues are in the market for a striker this January following the failings of Alvaro Morata. The Spanish striker seems beyond the point of no return at Stamford Bridge, with a weekend brace over Nottingham Forest even being overshadowed by a shocking, but offside, miss. Manager Maurizio Sarri has eventually followed the fans and lost faith in the 26-year-old, who arrived for £58million last summer, while deeming Olivier Giroud not good enough to regularly lead the line. While the club seek a destination to offload Morata, they are upping the search for a replacement.

The Mirror are reporting that Icardi is the top target and Abramovich is willing to supply a fitting warchest to land the Italian. The forward, who has scored nine Serie A goals this season, is currently declining Inter’s improved contract offers, with his current deal expiring in June 2021. It is not the length which Inter are worrying about, however. Icardi’s current buy-out clause for a club outside of Italy is £100million, which could be met without too many raised eyebrows in the current market.

Chelsea transfer news: Mauro Icardi has become one of the most sought after strikers in Europe

Chelsea transfer news: Roman Abramovich has spent a suspected £1.5bn in transfer fees since 2003