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According to reports, Chelsea are interested in signing Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez as Romelu Lukaku's partner in the attack.
The 24-year-old has scored 10 goals and made two assists in 15 games in Serie A this season. He was linked with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United last summer. However, United got Cristiano Ronaldo and a deal with Spurs didn't materialize.
Martinez formed a strong partnership with Romelu Lukaku in Serie A last season, scoring 17 goals and assisting 10 in the league. They led Inter Milan to their first Scudetto in a decade.
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Romelu Lukaku was then snapped up by Chelsea this season for a club-record fee of £97.5 million. However, the Belgian hasn't been able to have the kind of impact the Blues' fans would've hoped for.
He has scored five goals and made one assist in 16 appearances for Chelsea across all competitions this season.
Lukaku has been nursing an injury lately and is gradually coming back into the team. Meanwhile, his current strike partner Timo Werner has struggled as well. He has scored five goals and made two assists in 14 appearances this season.
Hence, Chelsea are looking to bring in a quality striker like Lautaro Martinez to bolster their ranks. If they do sign him, it could mean the exit of Timo Werner.
Chelsea's form has been hampered by injuries to key players
With a squad as big as Chelsea's, it is hard to imagine that a couple of injuries could harm their performances. But that has exactly been the case.
Injuries to key players like N'Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Ben Chilwell seem to have affected the squad as a whole. Kante and Chilwell picked up injuries in Chelsea's 4-0 win over Juventus in the Champions League on November 24.
Until then, Chelsea had one of the meanest defenses in European football, conceding just four goals. They were also at the top of the Premier League table.
Since then, however, they have conceded 10 goals in five matches. They have also slipped to third position in the league table.
Chelsea have won just two of those games. The wins were also somehow just achieved against Watford and Leeds United. They have looked far from their best without Kante, Kovacic and Chilwell.
Thomas Tuchel will hope to have these players back soon if they are to continue fighting on all fronts.
