Top source says Chelsea “not in the race” for main striker target; new plan needed

Edu Burgos may not have a Blue Tick on Twitter, but he’s a name we really trust on transfers, especially when it comes to South American moves.

The Diario AS writer has just put out an exclusive about Jhon Duran, one of the more in demand players of recent windows. But it’s bad news for Chelsea fans. The player the club pushed so hard for in the summer doesn’t look like he’s coming to Stamford Bridge, and certainly not this week.

Burgos writes that Chelsea “aren’t in the race” for Duran. Sources close to the player told him that they’re “just rumours”. That will be a real disappointment to the many fans who see Duran as the perfect dangerman to finally be the elite number 9 we’re always looking for.

Someone could yet get lucky – the player “could still leave this winter,” with Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia the only team mentioned. Duran is apparently still “one of the names to follow” in this last week of January, but Chelsea fans should prepare themselves for disappointment.

Chelsea left with big questions as Duran move ruled out

Frankly a January move for the Colombian never seemed that likely, especially with the news that Aston Villa are hoping to get something close to €100m for him.

Given we tried and failed in the summer, the idea that we would return in January with an even bigger bid always seemed a little unlikely. With just a week to go, it would be too large a move to pull off.

That leaves us with big questions about what we do need to do up front. Nicolas Jackson’s goalscoring form has really dried up, Marc Guiu is too young and raw, and Christopher Nkunku really doesn’t fit as a forward in this system.