Ever since Eden Hazard’s departure for Real Madrid three years ago, Chelsea have been in need of added depth on both flanks. The Belgian was irreplaceable at Stamford Bridge. He racked up an impressive 110 goals in 352 games during his seven years in London and twice won the Premier League and Europa League.
Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech were brought to Stamford Bridge the summer after the 120time Belgium international’s departure, but both have disappointed.
Admittedly both played a part in the club’s second-ever UEFA Champions League triumph last summer, which may justify their combined £85m transfer outlay, but there is no denying that the pair have hardly set the world alight.
Then there’s Christian Pulisic and Callum Hudson-Odoi. The pair of them have struggled for fitness over the last year, missing a total of 40 games between them throughout the course of the last term. Both wingers have talent in abundance, which is there for all to see.
But if Thomas Tuchel is to once again lead The Blues to success in what is a gruelling English football season, he needs his key men fit and firing on all cylinders.
And it seems that the German manager understands that he must freshen up his options outside. His club have been linked with a plethora of talent over the last few weeks, with these two wingers both being touted with a move to The Bridge.
Ousmane Dembele
The rumour that all Blues have heard at this point is that of Barcelona’s – until June 30th at least – Ousmane Dembele. The Blaugrana brought in the Frenchman to replace an outgoing winger of their own, namely Brazilian superstar, Neymar.
They forked out an eye-watering £126m to Borussia Dortmund for his services but since that mega-money move five years ago things haven’t quite worked out. In fact, things turned so sour this winter that Barca’s Director of Football, Mateu Alemany, demanded that the winger left the Nou Camp “immediately.”
Club president Joan Laporta branded accused the player of blackmail, before U-turning barely a month later after the former Rennes-man produced some dazzling displays under new manager Xavi.
So is it really any wonder that Dembele is looking of Spain, reportedly refusing the latest offer from Catalonia. However, there is one final stumbling block in the way of the potential signing, and that comes in the form of Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain.
The French club are reportedly also interested in the 2018 World Cup winner, but with Neymar and Lionel Messi already occupying both wide spots at the Parc De Princes, Stamford Bridge may prove to be a more appealing option.
Raheem Sterling
Should The Blues not be able to seal the free transfer of Dembele, then one man who may be able to fill the void is England international Raheem Sterling.
The explosive winger is out of contract at the end of next season and despite not being as crucial to Pep Guardiola as he has been in recent years, still managed to net 17 impressive goals last term.
He is as integral to his national team’s plans as ever though and may look to move on this summer, to seal a starting berth in Qatar.
Despite breaking into the Liverpool first team back in 2012, Sterling is still unbelievably only 27 years old and he is a proven commodity at the top level. He’s bagged 154 goals in 468 appearances at senior level, with 133 of those goals coming in the Premier League or Champions League.
He’s also a man that delivers when the pressure is on, as demonstrated by his three important goals on England’s run to the Euro 2020 final last summer. Admittedly, unlike Dembele, his ability will command a transfer fee.
Transfermarkt currently values him at £63m and Tuchel will have to get Chelsea’s new owners to open up their chequebook if the Manchester City man is to join the club.
