Transfer: Omorodion Tops Chelsea's Wanted List

Samu Omorodion

Blues Eye Omorodion as Main Transfer Target

Chelsea FC targets Samu Omorodion as their top transfer priority, but Atletico Madrid rejects initial €40 million offer, holding out for €80 million release clause.

Jhon Duran, a striker for Aston Villa, has been linked to Chelsea for the most of the early summer.

It has long been known that Nicolas Jackson will not be the only pure striker in Enzo Maresca's starting lineup to begin the season. That man might be Samu Omorodion, a 20-year-old forward for Atletico Madrid.

Transfermarkt Area manager in Spain Iván Turmo said, “He has been compared to former Chelsea and Atlético striker Diego Costa, but his favorite player is teammate Antoine Griezmann.”

The Blues reportedly tried to sign the Spain youth international with the Spanish club for €32.5 million plus add-ons, but the club turned down their offer, according to The Athletic.

The striker saw his market value increase from €200k to €35m during his loan season with Deportivo Alaves, when he scored nine goals in 35 appearances.

Of players 20 years of age or younger, only Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid scored more goals in the top five divisions than Omorodion.

The incredible 2023–2024 season of Omorodion started off in an odd way. He spent some time with Granada B before participating in the opening matchday of La Liga versus Atlético. Although Omorodion scored and created a lot of issues for the Atlético defense, Diego Simeone's squad lost 3-1.

In fact, Atletico Madrid spent €6 million to sign the teenager to the Wanda Metropolitano following that match, and at that point, the teenager was loaned to Alavés.

Omorodion proved to be a valuable member of the Alavés team, contributing significantly to their tenth-place result.

Turmo disclosed the nature of the striker's play: “Despite his large stature, Omorodion is one of the fastest players in La Liga. He is great in the air and uses his big frame intelligently to win duels and hold it up to get his team up the pitch.

“He is always a danger to the opposition, and is a real threat on the counter-attack, exploiting space in behind.”

Jackson himself looked dangerous on the break and occasionally held the ball up nicely for Chelsea last season, but he also appeared very raw and missed opportunities to score from some excellent positions.

He is currently Atletico Madrid's most valuable player, with a market worth of €35 million.

A figure that may come as a surprise, but it belies his skill.

“He is undoubtedly one of the great jewels of Spanish football.” Turmo claimed.

“That is how Atletico understood it and paid the €6m release clause just after the first league game where Atlético played against Granada.

“During his loan at Alavés he has acquired his first experience among the elite, and from what we saw surely he could adapt very well to the Premier League.”

Chelsea might be picking up a jewel, but doing so would mean adding additional depth to an already large squad, and financially speaking, the deal would undoubtedly require some outgoings due to Premier League profit and sustainability (PSR) regulations.