Chelsea could consider a shock January move for either Karim Benzema or Roberto Firmino, according to a report.
The West Londoners are known to be in the market for a new centre-forward despite spending in excess of £1bn on new players in the Todd Boehly era.
Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson both arrived at Stamford Bridge last summer, but the former has been hampered with injuries this season, while the latter has been inconsistent in front of goal and is now away with Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Armando Broja, meanwhile, is yet to reach the heights expected for Chelsea, so Pochettino has had to rely on the brilliance of midfielder Cole Palmer, who is the club’s top scorer so far this season with nine goals in all competitions.
Chelsea are believed to be weighing up the prospect of delving into the January transfer market to sign a new striker as they wait to discover the news of Nkunku’s fresh injury setback.
The Blues have been strongly linked with a big-money move for Napoli talisman Victor Osimhen, while Brentford’s Ivan Toney is also believed to be on their radar.
However, The Telegraph claims that Chelsea have no desire to splash around £120m on Osimhen this month, with Financial Fair Play and Profit and Sustainability Rules in mind, while there is a growing belief that Toney, who is valued at a similar price to Osimhen, is set to remain at Brentford for the rest of the season.
The report adds that Chelsea could therefore turn their attention to other targets and may consider the possibility of luring either Benzema or Firmino to Stamford Bridge on a short-term loan deal.
Benzema and Firmino were two of the most high-profile players to join the Saudi Pro League last summer, with the former swapping Real Madrid for Al Ittihad and the latter leaving Liverpool for Al-Ahli.
After scoring 354 goals in 648 games during a legendary 14-year career with Real Madrid, Benzema has since found the net 12 times in 20 appearances for Al Ittihad, but the reigning Saudi Pro League champions are down in eighth place this term and are 25 points adrift of leaders Al-Hilal.
The 36-year-old still has two-and-a-half years on his Al Ittihad contract, but he has recently been tipped to secure a swift exit from the club after being excluded from Marcelo Gallardo’s squad for a mid-season training camp.
Chelsea are not the only club who has been linked with Benzema, as Manchester United are also believed to be considering a loan move for the Frenchman this month.
Firmino, meanwhile, scored a hat-trick on his Al-Ahli debut back in August, but he has failed to get his name on the scoresheet since in his next 18 appearances this season.
The Brazilian, who enjoyed a hugely-successful eight-year spell at Liverpool, is allegedly open to leaving Al-Ahli and has been linked with a possible return to the Premier League amid interest from Fulham and Sheffield United.
