Chelsea are eyeing another £34 million for Benjamin Sesko after internal talks

Chelsea are eyeing a £34 million alternative to heavily linked RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, which comes after internal discussions about the player in question and amid a major overhaul of the Slovenia international on Tuesday.

Chelsea missed Sesko as Boehly headed forward

Todd Boehly and Stamford Bridge officials are looking to bring in the striker, as they look to bring back new manager Enzo Maresca with a proven goalscorer and an outlet in the forward area.

The west Londoners relied heavily on Cole Palmer for much of their attacking power last season, with the young England international scoring a remarkable 22 goals in the Premier League alone.

While Nicolas Jackson, signed by Chelsea from Villarreal last summer, has also shown promise and scored 17 goals in all competitions – concerns remain over the 22-year-old's fitness to lead the line.

As a result, Chelsea have thrown their hat into the race to sign Sesko from RB Leipzig, the 21-year-old scoring 18 goals in all competitions last season. The £55 million release clause in Sesko's contract has been a struggle for top-flight clubs such as Chelsea and Arsenal, as top men tend to be paid more.

However, as Fabrizio Romano shared on Tuesday, Chelsea and other interested parties now look set to miss out on Sesko. Indeed, the striker will sign new names for Leipzig and stay in the Bundesliga – posing a problem for Maresca in his search for a target man.

Now it's back to the drawing board for Chelsea, who must look at other options. Another attraction, according to GiveMeSport this week, is Girona star Artem Dovbyk. The Ukrainian, who will represent his country at Euro 2024, finished last campaign as the top scorer in La Liga with 24 goals for Michel's side.

Chelsea target Dovbyk to replace Sesko

According to GMS, after internal discussions, Chelsea targeted Dovbyk as an alternative to Sesko. The 26-year-old has been working hard for Girona last season, and to make things even more interesting, he could leave Spain for the Premier League on the cheap.

As with Romano, Dovbyk's contract includes a release clause of £34 million, which will be of great interest to sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley as they lead Chelsea's transfer plans.

“Dovbyk has everything,” said former Mallorca striker Dani Guiza.

“He's a tank, he's fast, and he's a goalscorer. Big teams will fight for him, but I hope he stays at Girona. It's very difficult for a small team to have a player who wins the Pichichi. If Dovbyk continues like this, it will be a sign of a good player.”