Chelsea have joined the race to sign Lyon striker Moussa Dembelé, following interest from Manchester United and Arsenal.
The Frenchman joined Lyon from Celtic last season and has gone to score a lot of goals for the French side.
As per Fichajes (via Transfermarkt), the 23-year-old is now a target for Chelsea, and could make a move to the Premier League side for around €45 million.
Dembele’s current contract with Lyon expires in 2023, after he signed a five-year deal last year.
The French striker has scored 8 goals in 11 Ligue 1 appearances this season, while scoring 20 goals in all competitions last season for Lyon.
Here’s a look at the pros and cons of signing Dembele.
Pros
Dembele is a goalscorer who has had good returns wherever he has played at. The striker is a very good finisher and, more often than not, puts away his chances when he is in the box. The Lyon No. 9 averages 2.4 shots per game this season in Ligue 1 in a struggling Lyon side, scoring 8 goals in total.
The French striker is quick with the ball at his feet and is very good in the air. The 6 foot striker competes for an average of 4.5 headers in the league this season, winning 2.5 of those each game in Ligue 1.
Dembele is strong with and without the ball, and uses his body well to get into goalscoring positions. He can run in wide areas to bring his teammates into play, and offer an outlet to his midfielders behind him to put balls into.
Tammy Abraham has been in phenomenal form for Chelsea this season, but the likes of Olivier Giroud and Michy Batshuayi have not had too many chances, which could result in them asking for a move away from Chelsea.
The Blues need another striker to offer competition to Abraham, which is one reason why they are linked with Dembele.
Cons
Dembele doesn’t contribute a lot to his team’s defence, which may be a matter of concern for Chelsea manager Frank Lampard as he expects all his players to have good work-ethic.
He has also been dispossessed quite easily and frequently this season, averaging 2.3 dispossessions per game this season in Ligue 1, which would also be something that Chelsea may find an issue with.