Chelsea are reportedly interested in roping in RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko, who has recently popped up on AC Milan’s radar as well.
Sesko, 20, has cemented himself as a crucial squad member of Marco Rose’s side since arriving from Red Bull Salzburg for close to £21 million past summer. He has scored nine goals in 1,019 minutes of action, spread across 26 matches across all competitions for Leipzig.
Now, according to Italian news website MilanLive.it, Chelsea have opted to join the race to snap up the 25-cap Slovenia international. They are expected to face tough competition from Milan ahead of next season.
The Blues, who have dished out around £1 billion in the last four transfer windows, reportedly deem Napoli striker Victor Osimhen as their top target. However, due to the Nigerian’s hefty release clause of £111 million, they are hoping to sign the £43 million-rated Sesko.
Chelsea, who are 11th in the Premier League table with 31 points from 23 outings, could hand Sesko plenty of minutes should the player join them. The striker would provide healthy competition to Nicolas Jackson in the number nine role in their 4-2-3-1 system.
Before joining Leipzig, the Blues and Rossoneri target shot to fame during his time in Austria. He bagged a combined 51 goals and laid out 17 assists in 123 matches, including just 72 starts, across all competitions for Salzburg and Liefering.
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino explains why Mykhailo Mudryk is featuring less now
Earlier this month, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino was asked why Mykhailo Mudryk has fallen down in his squad’s pecking order of late. He replied to reporters (h/t The Standard):
“He started the [6-1] game against Middlesbrough in the [EFL Cup] semi-final, which is one of the most important games. Yes, now he is on the bench. Look, it’s about the form during the season, if you keep your form and you are the best during every training session. As coaching staff, we are a meritocracy. We are going to play with the players who are going to do their best on the pitch.”
Claiming that Mudryk has to adapt to his style, Pochettino continued:
“I think he’s a young guy that arrived here one year ago. We know the circumstances around [the transfer]. Of course, he needs to improve. He has amazing quality and potential, but it’s a [team] game, it’s not tennis. We have players that need to perform in a group. If you see him, it’s amazing, but after, you need to adapt and play for the team – he needs to adapt, and that needs time.”
Mudryk, who arrived in a deal worth around £89 million from Shakhtar Donetsk last January, has started 12 of his 25 overall appearances this season. The 23-year-old is likely to be in action in Chelsea’s FA Cup fourth round replay game at Aston Villa on Wednesday (February 7).
So far this campaign, the right-footed winger has scored four goals and registered three assists in 1,094 minutes of action for Chelsea.
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