Chelsea hold secret weapon in race for striker with 23 goals in 28 games as rivals launch bids

Red Star Belgrade striker Richmond Boakye is in high demand heading into the January transfer window after bagging 23 goals in his 28 games so far this season, with Chelsea said to be one of the teams interested in securing his services in the new year.

The Blues are on the hunt for reinforcements to back up Alvaro Morata following his club record £70m move from Real Madrid over the summer as Michy Batshuayi has failed to establish himself as a consistent option for Antonio Conte.



Instead of relying on the Belgian, Conte has instead opted to use Eden Hazard as a false nine when Morata is unavailable with the Italian said to be increasingly frustrated with Batshuayi's lack of productivity up front.

With rumours linking the Chelsea forward with a loan move to Monaco, the Premier League champions are believed to be interested in bringing Boakye to west London as a replacement.

The Ghanian international is being tracked by a number of top European clubs following an impressive start to the season which has seen Red Star open up a nine point gap at the top of the league.

Even more impressively, the Serbian side have made it all the way from the first qualifying round of the Europa League to the knock out stages, having finished second in their group behind Arsenal.

According to GhanaSoccer.net, the club are now considering bids from Besiktas, Rennes and Anderlecht for Boakye - ranging from £6m to £8m.

But Chelsea do hold an advantage over their rivals in their pursuit of Boakye, with the 24-year-old a known admirer of Blues boss Conte after the Italian brought him to Juventus as a teenager.


"Conte wanted me and bought me to Juventus from Sassuolo," Boayke explained last month. "For me he represented a great coach and I'll always thank him.

"I remember when I was loaned to Elche because there was no room for me, he called me to remind me that I had all the qualities. For a 19-year-old boy, it was very satisfying. If he wants me, I'm so happy to find him again."