Despite signing Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku for a combined £83m last summer, Chelsea are in the market for another forward.
Viktor Gyokeres, Victor Osimhen and Ivan Toney were on Chelsea’s radar, but Fabrizio Romano says they aren’t convinced by Toney.
Toney is talented but aging

The 28-year-old has 72 goals and 22 assists in 135 games for Brentford and is out of contract next year. Toney has less than 18 months remaining on his contract with the Bees and is considering a move away. Brentford could sell Toney rather than lose him for nothing in 2025, but Chelsea appear to have moved on.
Romano told Caught Offside’s Debrief podcast that Toney may have aged out of a transfer to Chelsea. He said: “I’m not sure Chelsea are that convinced on Ivan Toney anymore, I think they’ve started to look at different kinds of strikers in terms of age.”
The England international recently turned 28 and isn’t the typical age of a Todd Boehly acquisition. Chelsea only have three players above the age of 27 in their first-team squad. Toney may not be deemed a good business decision as he’s more short-term than long-term.
Jackson has an uncertain future

Jackson has surpassed double figures for goals in his debut season but has struggled for consistency. The 22-year-old has netted only two Premier League goals in 2024, so Chelsea are looking for an upgrade.
Jackson was signed after scoring nine goals with two assists in his last eight Liga games for Villarreal. The Senegalese international certainly has talent and has scored some impressive efforts for Chelsea, but he’s wasteful too.
As per WhoScored, Jackson’s expected goals in 13.3, but he’s only scored nine times in the Premier League. Only Dominic Calvert-Lewin (6.6) and Darwin Nunez (4.9) have a worst expected goals discrepancy than Jackson.
Toney boasts 36 goals and 10 assists from 77 league games, but time will tell if Chelsea sign him. He’s made it clear that he’s open to a move if the offer is right, but will his age put off Boehly?