Chelsea ‚reject Armando Broja loan offer‘ as two Premier League clubs push
Chelsea have rejected a loan offer from Wolverhampton Wanderers for Armando Broja, but could yet receive an acceptable offer from Fulham, according to a new report.
90min revealed on Monday that Chelsea are willing to sell Broja this January, with a marquee striker signing – potentially Napoli’s Victor Osimhen – front and centre of the club’s summer transfer plans.
Broja has come into the Chelsea team recently because of Nicolas Jackson’s AFCON commitments but hadn’t really seen any meaningful action prior to the tournament and has just one Premier League goal to his name.
The Evening Standard report that Wolves made their first official move for Broja in the form of a loan deal, but did not include an option to buy and are seemingly unwilling at this stage to commit to an obligatory purchase.
Further reports suggest that Fulham, who have long been tracking Broja alongside Aston Villa and West Ham United, may now step up and bid after Raul Jimenez picked up a hamstring injury during Tuesday night’s 0-0 draw with Everton.
Jimenez will now undergo a scan to determine the severity of the problem, but any prolonged absence would leave Marco Silva’s side short of options up front.
Chelsea value Broja at around £50m, despite his top-flight experience being largely limited to a single season on loan at Southampton, but it’s believed they are willing to negotiate down to around the £35m mark.
The Blues also have Christopher Nkunku and Cole Palmer at their disposal – although the latter is not a natural centre forward – and their presence is another reason why Chelsea are willing to let go of Broja.
The 22-year-old’s loan spell at Southampton during 2021/22 yielded six goals in 32 Premier League games, leading to a new six-year contract being signed at Chelsea in September 2022. But he wasn’t able to make much of an impact on Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter or interin manager Frank Lampard, and it’s been another frustrating season on the bench under Mauricio Pochettino.