Exclusive - Chelsea have identified Celtic's Odsonne Edouard as an option to challenge first-choice striker Tammy Abraham, with the club's scouts having issued glowing reports on the Frenchman.
The 22-year-old initially joined on loan from Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 before the deal was eventually made permanent.
Edouard has been in hugely impressive form this season, scoring 19 times as well as providing ten assists in just 23 Scottish Premiership appearances.
A source has now told 90min that Chelsea have been sending scouts to watch the Celtic man in action and have returned with glowing reports on him.
The Blues are searching for a striker to challenge Abraham, with Lyon's Moussa Dembele heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge during the January transfer window. While a deal failed to materialise, the former Fulham attacker remains very much in their sights and moreover, a return to west London looks likely.
Despite this, Chelsea are considering other players from around the world and Edouard has emerged as an option. The Blues have been checking on him and they have been left impressed with what they have seen. As for the player, he is keen to test himself in the Premier League.
A source told 90min at the beginning of January that Edouard was keen on securing a move away from Parkhead that month as a result of the growing interest in him from Premier League sides.
Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham had all been keeping tabs on the player and considered him to be a viable alternative to Dembele. However, there were a number of potential stumbling blocks to a winter move and, ultimately, he ended up staying put.
Chelsea certainly like what they have seen from Edouard, but it remains to be seen whether they will look to prioritise a move for Dembele, who remains very much in their sights. Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas recently revealed that the club will not stand in the way of any player who wishes to leave.
He said: “We already have a certain number of offers for our players for summer. We sell the players who want to leave to where they want to go.”
Source :
90min
