Struggling Chelsea are contemplating a January move for Bordeaux and Nigerian forward Josh Maja to offer competition to Tammy Abraham.
Maja, 20, joined Sunderland for Bordeaux in January 2019 after rejecting a new contract from the Black Cats and has enjoyed an impressive start to life in France.
So far this season, Maja has made 17 appearances, scoring six goals and two assists in all competitions.
Despite struggling to hold down a permanent place in Bordeaux’s starting lineup, 90min has learned Chelsea scouts have been seriously impressed with Maja ‘s performances, which has led to a reported move in January.
Maja’s finest moment in a Bordeaux shirt came in a recent 6-0 win over Nîmes where he bagged a hat-trick and an assist in just his third start of the season.
Chelsea have been searching Europe to try find a young striker capable of providing competition for Abraham.
He has bagged 11 Premier League goals in his first season as Chelsea’s first-choice forward.
Neither Michy Batshuayi nor Olivier Giroud have proven to be reliable backups, and now that Chelsea’s transfer ban has been lifted they are free to look around to find some alternatives.
London-born Maja could now be offered the chance to return to his hometown in January as the Blues look to bolster their squad and bounce back from a challenging run of form which has seen them lose four of their last five league games.
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Despite their miserable form, Chelsea remain fourth in the league table, but their lead in the race for the top four is in real jeopardy.
Aside from Abraham, the Blues’ forwards have struggled for goals this year. Both Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic have struggled of late, leading to scouts looking for some much-needed firepower to help them remain in the hunt for Champions League football.
Maja made his international debut on 10 September in a 2–2 friendly against Ukraine, replacing Victor Osimhen in added time.
