- Chelsea are looking at three striker alternatives to Edin Dzeko
- The Blues remain interested in Olivier Giroud, Peter Crouch and Ashley Barnes
- Antonio Conte would prefer Dzeko but the transfer looks in some doubt
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Chelsea are reportedly lining up three alternative striker targets in case their transfer move for Roma front-man Edin Dzeko cannot be done by Monday.
The Blues are keen to strengthen up front this January after a difficult start to the season, with Alvaro Morata struggling to settle since his summer move from Real Madrid.
Michy Batshuayi, meanwhile, has not looked much in the way of a backup, with Chelsea seeming to miss the brute force of Diego Costa up top after allowing him to rejoin Atletico Madrid.
Antonio Conte had been hoping to bring in Dzeko from Roma, but the club are now prepared to look elsewhere if a deal cannot be struck by Monday, according to the Telegraph.
Their report states that Chelsea could look instead at either Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud, Stoke City’s Peter Crouch, or Ashley Barnes of Burnley.
Chelsea fans would surely hope a deal could be done for Giroud, who looks by far the most suited to playing for a big club after shining at Arsenal down the years.
Crouch, meanwhile, is about to turn 37 and is no longer even a regular for Stoke, so seems a bizarre choice for a club of Chelsea’s standing.
Barnes is another who won’t exactly get Blues fans talking, but it seems Conte has a very specific idea in mind for a bulky centre-forward to act as cover for Morata.