Chelsea star Olivier Giroud among those touted to replace Luka Jovic at Real Madrid

According to AS, Chelsea star Olivier Giroud is among the names Real Madrid could look at to strengthen their attack.

The La Liga giants are struggling for goals and are overdependent on Karim Benzema. The Frenchman is the club’s top scorer with 12 strikes this season, three times that of second-placed Casemiro and Luke Modric.(h/t BBC)

With Luke Jovic returning to Eintracht Frankfurt on loan, Zinedine Zidane has only Benzema and Mariano as recognised strikers. Bringing in a new striker would certainly reduce the burden on Benzema.

At 34, Giroud is still racking up goals when called upon. Despite limited opportunities, he has been Chelsea’s most effective striker this season. (h/t BBC)

The Frenchman’s contract at Stamford Bridge expires in the summer and is expected to leave for a free. While there is some talk about an option to extend the deal by a year, whether it will be activated remains to be seen.

With Tammy Abraham now rediscovering his touch, Frank Lampard could be tempted to do business in January. While keeping the striker will be in our best interests, selling him now will ensure we get some sort of fee for parting with his services.

Having joined the club in 2018, Giroud has proven himself to be an excellent striker. A dependable option, he has often risen to the occasion when needed.

Giroud is not the only striker on Real’s radar. Others in the fray include Manchester City ace Sergio Aguero and Napoli outcast Arkadiusz Milik.

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Chelsea would be better served by keeping Giroud until the end of his season, even if it means losing him for free in the summer.

Timo Werner has largely failed to find the net while Abraham still has to polish his game. Losing Giroud at this point could leave us lacking tooth in the final third.

Chelsea loanee Michy Batshuayi involved in a training ground spat with Luka Milivojevic

According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea loanee Michy Batshuayi has been involved in a training ground bust-up at Crystal Palace.

The 27-year-old joined the Eagles on a season-long loan last summer. He has made 12 appearances so far but is yet to find the net. In contrast, he scored six goals in 13 games during his previous loan spell at Selhurst Park in 2018/19. (h/t Transfermarkt)

Batshuayi’s time at Palace has now come under further cloud after coming to blows with club captain Luka Milivojevic.

The confrontation was triggered by Milivojevic’s irritation at Batshuayi’s attitude during a passing drill. It involved the Palace players testing each other’s first-touches by kicking the ball at each other with increasing power.

Milivojevic took exception to Batshuayi’s mannerism and responded by kicking the ball straight at the Belgian international from close range. 

Both players then came to blows, with Batshuayi throwing his teammate to the ground. They continued to have a go at each other and had to be separated by teammates.

The incident occurred in the build-up to last night’s game against Arsenal. The animosity was not on show on the pitch as they held the Gunners to a 0-0 draw.

Milivojevic played 89 minutes on the night while Batshuayi was an unused substitute.

Whether any action will be taken against Batshuayi remains to be seen. The incident comes at a poor time given the striker’s on-field troubles.

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Frank Lampard is keen to offload the Belgian permanently. However, they could also accept a loan deal. The 27-year-old joined Chelsea in 2016. He has however failed to meet the required levels and has spent three spells out on loan. (h/t Birmingham Mail)

He has done precious little this time around to show he has what it takes to succeed at Chelsea.

Chelsea stalling on Declan Rice thanks to Frank Lampard being on a slippery slope

According to The Athletic (Subscription Required), the uncertainty surrounding the future of Chelsea boss Frank Lampard is impacting the club’s pursuit of Declan Rice.

The West Ham United star has been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge. While we failed to land him in the summer, rumours regarding a renewed interest continue to run strong.

The player for his part is also keen to return to Chelsea. Rice was initially on Chelsea’s books before being released by the club at the age of 14.

The Blues are coming off the back of a poor December that saw them fall away in the title race. A run of one win in six games has seen the Blues fall to 10th place in the Premier League.

This has called into question Lampard’s position as the manager. While he is set to be given time to set things right, Roman Abramovich is ensuring the club is ready if a change needs to be made.

The Russian oligarch has already created a five-man shortlist of candidates to replace Lampard if results don’t pick up. (h/t The Daily Mail)

Red flags galore?

A move for Rice was already difficult given West Ham’s massive £80million asking price. There is also no common stand at the club regarding a move for the midfielder.

Lampard for his part is a huge fan of the 21-year-old English international. The same cannot be said of the board, who have reservations. (h/t The Express)

They remain unconvinced if the youngster has the required quality and has the ability to step up to a Champions League level side. It would appear that at this point in time, any chance of us bringing in Rice rests on Lampard keeping his job.

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Chelsea take on Fulham next in the Premier League. A win should give Lampard some breathing space and the foundation to put together a run of good results.

It promises to be an interesting second half of the season.

Chelsea given a boost in the race for prolific star Erling Haaland

According to Football.london, Chelsea have been given a boost in their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland.

The 20-year-old is one of Europe’s best marksmen and has taken his game up a notch at Dortmund. So far, Haaland has an impressive 34 goals in 35 games for the Germans. (h/t Transfermarkt)

Frank Lampard had informed the Chelsea hierarchy that he is keen to add the Norwegian to his roster. The likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, and Real Madrid are all keeping tabs on the player. (h/t The Express)

The lack of matchday revenue has impacted clubs’ ability to spend heavily in the transfer window. However, with fans hopefully set to return at least in a limited capacity towards the end of the season, there could be cash to spend in the summer.

The striker has a £70m release clause that kicks in next summer. To put it in context, it is lesser than what we paid for Kepa Arrizabalaga or Kai Havertz. (h/t The Mirror)

Haaland could be on the move come the summer. His agent Mino Raiola is keen to take him away from the German giants once the summer window opens. (h/t Football.london)

Despite signing Timo Werner, the German has largely started on the left than up front for Chelsea.

With Olivier Giroud’s contract expiring and Tammy Abraham still developing, the Blues lack an infallible scorer up front. Signing Haaland would certainly be a coup and could secure our frontline for years to come.

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Haaland has shown remarkable consistency and ability over the last couple of seasons. This has seen his reputation rise, winning him the Golden Boy award.

He has all the ability to turn into a leading striker in world football, if he isn’t already one. It would to be a dream to see him achieve it in Blue.