Frank Lampard’s Chelsea have a key top-four battle upcoming on Saturday versus Leicester City at the King Power Stadium. The Blues are winless in three of their last four league matches but did get a victory at the weekend in the FA Cup fourth round versus Hull City. In need of an injection of goals and league wins, Chelsea have turned their attentions to AC Milan starlet Krzysztof Piatek and hope he could help the club solidify a top-four place if a deal can be worked out this month.
Piatek has only been at AC Milan for 12 months after signing for the Rossoneri following a mercurial four months at Genoa. The 24-year-old Polish international bagged a brilliant 19 goals in 21 matches in all competitions for Genoa and was sold as soon as club president Enrico Preziosi could make a tidy profit off of him.
The striker picked up where he left off once joining AC Milan and scored 11 goals in the second half of the season. However, the AC Milan starlet has been a major disappointment this term for the team. Piatek has scored just four goals in 19 Serie A appearances.
Piatek’s form has led to him not appearing in any of AC Milan’s last three matches in Serie A. It has also fuelled the fires of speculation that AC Milan want to offload the player.
Despite his failing form, Piatek has been eyed by a number of teams around Europe. Until recently, Barcelona were linked with his signature. However, the club, which needs a striker with Luis Suarez suffering a long-term knee injury, has passed on Piatek. Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho and Tottenham Hotspur are considering Piatek as an alternative to the injured Harry Kane. They have been told a permanent deal must be made rather than a loan.
A permanent deal leaves Chelsea in a perfect position to snatch-up the AC Milan starlet. The Blues desperately need competition for Tammy Abraham. Olivier Giroud looks destined for a move to Inter Milan and reports indicate that AC Milan will “offer” Piatek to Chelsea if Frenchman leaves.
The Blues have a combination of ageing forwards and players not hitting their full potential outside of Abraham, who has largely overachieved. Abraham has scored 13 league goals with Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount tied for second with five each.
Chelsea have another option this month and that is Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani. The Uruguayan’s contract expires in the summer and could leave this month. However, PSG want £12.6 for the hitman as they seek to replace one of their best-ever goalscorers.
Piatek would be a better option for Chelsea. He is only 24-years-old while Cavani is 32. The Blues would pay a decent sum for a player (Cavani) that has never excelled against English competition previously, has injury issues, and has seen his best days.
Piatek is yet to hit his best years and his struggles this season are more due to playing for an awful AC Milan team than individual errors. Last March, it was stated that the AC Milan starlet was worth around €70m. If Chelsea could pull off a deal for £25m, it would be a significant move for a striker that was just 12 months ago, considered one of the best on the continent.