5 players who could be Chelsea's striker next season

The 2022-23 season has been a huge disappointment for Chelsea. They have spent over £500m on new players but find themselves in the bottom half of the Premier League table.

One of the major reasons behind their sluggish performances is their lack of goal threat. In 36 Premier League matches, Chelsea have scored just 36 goals; only Everton, Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers have scored fewer goals than the Blues.

They do not have a regular goalscorer in the side; Kai Havertz is their top scorer in the league with just seven goals. Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is clearly willing to spend big money to revamp the squad, and a striker will surely be the Blues' number one priority in the summer.

Here's a look at five players who could lead the line for Chelsea next season:

#1 Lautaro Martinez - Inter Milan

At 25 years of age, Lautaro Martinez has plenty of experience under his belt. He has scored 14, 17, and 21 goals in his last three full seasons in Serie A and has 20 goals in the ongoing season with two league games remaining.

Martinez was part of the Inter Milan side that won the Serie A in 2021 and the Argentina squad that won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Many would back Martinez to score goals at Chelsea, but Inter would demand a huge fee for the striker. Given Chelsea's recent spending spree, if they believe Martinez is the right man, they would likely be willing to pay big money for the Argentine.

#2 Victor Osimhen - Napoli

Napoli won their first Serie A title since 1990 this season. Their title charge was led by Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, who scored 23 goals and provided 5 assists in 30 league games.

Scottish football pundit Ally McCoist claimed on talkSPORT that Osimhen reminds him of former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba. Osimhen, 24, is one of the best young strikers in European football at the moment and would undoubtedly be a success at Stamford Bridge.

As per Sky Sports, both Manchester United and Chelsea are interested in signing the Napoli striker. However, Napoli are a tough side to negotiate with and would reportedly demand a fee of around £150m.

#3 Dusan Vlahovic - Juventus

Chelsea have been linked with Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic in recent weeks. According to ESPN, Chelsea have prepared a £70m bid for the Serbian striker.

Vlahovic signed for Juventus from Fiorentina in January 2022 for around £60m and is already attracting interest from top European sides. He scored 21 goals in 37 Serie A appearances in 2020-21. Before joining the Old Lady in January 2022, Vlahovic scored 17 goals after 21 games for Fiorentina in the 2021-22 season. However, his numbers have suffered since joining the Serie A giants.

Despite his drop in form since leaving Fiorentina, he has done enough to attract interest from Chelsea. Juventus are unlikely to get Champions League football next season, which could make it easier for the Blues to attract Vlahovic as they won't have European football next season either.

#4 Romelu Lukaku - Inter Milan (on loan from Chelsea)

Chelsea signed Romelu Lukaku from Inter for a reported £97.5m (according to Sky Sports) in August 2021. Coming off the back of an incredible season with Inter Milan (24 goals and 10 assists in 36 Serie A games), many believed Lukaku would solve Chelsea's woes in front of goal.

However, it never worked out for Lukaku as he scored just eight goals for Chelsea in the Premier League last season. In the 2022 summer window, just 11 months after signing from Inter, he was loaned back to the Serie A club for a £7m loan fee.

While he hasn't been able to rediscover his form from the 2020-21 season, he has managed 14 goal contributions in the league with Inter. He has also pitched in with three goals in the Champions League during Inter's run to the final.

If the new Chelsea manager believes he can get the best out of Lukaku when he returns from his loan spell, the Blues can save a lot of money.

#5 Jonathan David - LOSC Lille

Jonathan David has scored 22 goals in Ligue 1 this season; only Kylian Mbappe and Alexandre Lacazette have scored more. David joined Lille in the summer of 2020 and scored 13 goals in his first Ligue 1 season, as his club won the title.

French news outlet L'Equipe have linked Chelsea with the Canadian striker. According to reports, Lille are looking for a £44m for the 23-year-old striker.

This would make David one of the cheaper options on this list. He's also the youngest striker on the list and has room for improvement in the coming years.