German club chief deals Chelsea a blow in their striker search
VfB Stuttgart sporting director Sven Mislintat has dealt a blow to Chelsea’s transfer plans as they pursue a new striker this summer.
With the Blues prioritising Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland, they have been forced to think of alternatives in case they can’t agree on a deal for the 21-year-old.
One of those alternatives is Stuttgart’s Sasa Kalajdzic, who scored 16 goals in 33 Bundesliga appearances last season.
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Kalajdzic, who stands 6’7″ tall, represented Austria at Euro 2020, scoring one goal in four appearances.
The 24-year-old is rumoured to be valued at £34million by the German club.
Formerly of Arsenal, Mislintat has shut down any chance of the big striker leaving Stuttgart this summer.
Speaking to Kicker, he said: “He feels right at home, has been training in VfB clothes all summer. I’m not so worried now, to be honest.”
Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski has also emerged as a surprise Chelsea target.
Lewandowski is reportedly ‘interested’ in a move to Chelsea after the Blues held talks with his agent.
However, Haaland has been the main man linked with a move to Stamford Bridge all summer, and will still be Thomas Tuchel’s number one target.
The Dortmund star has scored an astonishing 57 goals in 59 matches for the Bundesliga outfit.
It has been rumoured that Tuchel wants Chelsea to sign the Norway international ‘immediately’, while the Blues reportedly put a players-plus-cash proposal forward to Dortmund in an attempt to persuade them to sell this summer.
Timo Werner could be used in a swap deal for Haaland, and the German is apparently open to that idea.
Werner managed just six Premier League goals in 35 games and went on a barren run between early November and mid-February.
He ended the season with a goal against West Ham and assists against Fulham and Man City, after being trusted by Tuchel, but the exit rumours continue to swirl.
90Min has claimed that Werner is willing to leave the London club if they manage to sign a top-class striker like Haaland.
He knows that the club are openly searching for a new talisman, as owner Roman Abramovich has put £150m aside to land the Norwegian sensation.
Due to this, Werner’s agent has ‘touched base’ with Borussia Dortmund to inform them that his player would be open to joining.