Chelsea have managed to win the Conference League trophy and qualify for the Champions League this season, but they may still be a little envious of Premier League rivals Newcastle United.
In Alexander Isak, Newcastle have one of the best strikers in England, and Chelsea will be well aware of that.
The 25-year-old has scored against the Blues twice this term and netted 23 times in total in the Premier League.
Chelsea, though, could be about to sign someone who has the potential to develop into a centre-forward who is just as capable as Isak. Chelsea could buy two new No.9s this summer, with the club already closing in on a deal for Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap.
Chelsea target Hugo Ekitike compared to Alexander Isak
As well as Delap, Chelsea are also interested in signing Hugo Ekitike from Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt.
In fact, it has already been claimed that Ekitike’s personal terms have broadly been agreed with Chelsea.
The Blues are not the only ones who rate the 22-year-old, though. According to Matt Law of The Telegraph, those inside the game think he is very similar to Isak and could develop in a similar way to the Sweden international.
Speaking on the London Is Blue podcast, the journalist said: “Ekitike, they [Chelsea] definitely like. I think there are a lot of people in football who are hopeful and thinking that Ekitike might have a similar development path to Isak.
“They see him as a similar type of striker who could be what Isak was when he sort of joined Newcastle or just a little bit before that.”
Ekitike joining Delap at Chelsea would put Nicolas Jackson’s future at the club in serious doubt.
Journalist Simon Phillips has already heard that Jackson is unhappy with Chelsea right now amid their pursuit of two players in his position.
How Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak’s stats compare this season
Ekitike and Isak played roughly the same number of league games and minutes this term, but the latter was able to score eight more goals.
Isak was more clinical than Ekitike — which you would expect given that he is a more seasoned forward — and their xG totals really show that.
| Player | League games | Minutes | Goals | xG |
| Hugo Ekitike | 33 | 2,563 | 15 | 21.6 |
| Alexander Isak | 34 | 2,756 | 23 | 20.3 |
Isak could have had a few more goals to his name, but Ekitike should have finished the campaign with 20-plus based on the quality of chances he had.
Ekitike has made good progress after a difficult spell at Paris Saint-Germain, but the Frenchman has got some way to go before he is on Isak’s level.
