Kaoru Mitoma of Brighton and Hove Albion. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
Former Liverpool and Aston Villa striker Stan Collymore has tipped Chelsea to sign Brighton & Hove Albion star Kaoru Mitoma in the upcoming transfer window.
The Japan international moved to the Seagulls in the summer of 2022. In the current campaign, the 25-year-old has caught a lot of people’s attention with his scintillating displays.
Writing on CaughtOffside (h/t football.london), Collymore, who ended his professional career at Real Oviedo in 2001, believes the East Sussex side could lose Mitoma next summer. The Blues have been mentioned as a club that will be interested in the forward’s possible price tag.
“He isn’t going to command a huge fee. He’ll have two years left on his deal and he was bought for virtually nothing, so from a commercial point of view, even a £30m offer, which would be over a 500 per cent return on investment in just 12 months, would be too good for Brighton to turn down.
“And, as we all know, that kind of deal is something Chelsea’s new owner would lick his lips at.”
The Japan international is playing in his first season in the Premier League. In 20 appearances in all competitions for Brighton, the 25-year-old has scored seven goals and two assists.
Mitoma has spent most of his career in Japan. So to see the 25-year-old ripping it up in the English top flight is a surprise. His ability to take on defenders can get anyone off their seats.
However, Chelsea have already invested heavily in their forward line in the last two transfer windows. In the summer of 2022, we signed Raheem Sterling from Manchester City.
Todd Boehly also spent a lot on the squad in January. Mykhaylo Mudryk made his way from Shakhtar Donetsk and we also bought Noni Madueke from PSV Eindhoven. Joao Felix also signed for the Stamford Bridge side on loan.
Graham Potter also has Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic at his disposal. Therefore, strengthening the wide areas up front is seemingly not necessary.
However, what Chelsea have evidently lacked over the last few seasons is an out-and-out goalscorer. Therefore, instead of targeting Mitoma, it would be wise for the Stamford Bridge side to go after a quality striker.
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