Chelsea handed dilemma in January striker transfer pursuit after major Marcus Thuram admission

Chelsea may have a dilemma over pursuing a move for Borussia Monchengladbach striker Marcus Thuram in the coming weeks as his contract dwindles. It comes as the Blues eye further additions to their squad for the rest of the campaign, following a series of injuries and other concerns.

Armando Broja was the first of these issues to arise as the Cobham academy graduate injured his knee in a friendly against Aston Villa, meaning he will now miss the rest of the season. It leaves just Kai Havertz and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to fill in the striker role, with both players struggling for any sort of form.

The forward roles were somewhere that Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness believes needs addressing as soon as possible, saying in a column:

“I think Graham Potter needs help. I hope they’re sitting him down and he’s part of the conversation. ‘What do you need?’ That squad is not equipped to go and win big games of football in a very demanding league because they don’t have any strikers.”

Joao Felix has since been signed on loan from Atletico Madrid for the rest of the season, but fits closer to the category of a playmaker over a presence up front and to add insult to injury, is now banned for three matches following a straight red card on his debut. As a result, the transfer market appears to hold the answer.

France international Thuram is eyed as an option, with his contract expiring at the end of the current season, however current Monchengladbach coach Daniel Farke has admitted that he expects the forward to stay at the club in January:

“If we’re talking about Marcus now, for example, I don’t think there are that many clubs that particularly appeal to him. “I think he feels right at home here at Borussia Monchengladbach. He came back [from the World Cup] in good shape and condition, and is motivated. You can never rule out anything in this business, but I am very, very sure that he will play a very, very good second half of the season for us.”

It hands the Blues a dilemma over whether they make an approach for Thuram and sign him for the end of the season on a free transfer, meaning they won’t get immediate impact for this campaign, or whether they look elsewhere for targets that can join them this month.