Chelsea transfer news: TEAMtalk reports that Chelsea have joined Tottenham, Manchester United and Arsenal in the chase for Freiburg striker Igor Matanović, and that the Bundesliga club want £50m for the Croatian international. That figure matches what Aston Villa paid Freiburg for Johan Manzambi in the summer, although Football Insider has claimed Freiburg do not plan to sell in January, so a deal may wait until summer.

Matanović is 23, is 6ft 5in and joined Freiburg in July 2025 for a modest fee. He scored 11 Bundesliga goals last season and has four goals and an assist in nine league appearances this term.

FotMob ranked him among the Bundesliga’s best strikers for aerial duels won and defensive actions last season, so he wins headers and presses from the front. The drawbacks are real. He has one full top-flight season behind him, no Premier League experience, and his output is good rather than prolific.

Chelsea’s problem

Chelsea sit fifth on 16 points, six behind second-placed Brighton, after a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland on 8 November. Xabi Alonso said he was furious with a performance that was too slow and too passive. The goals aren’t the concern, because Chelsea’s 19 are the third most in the division.

The concern is what happens when João Pedro, who scored 20 times last season, misses games through injury. Chelsea lost 3-0 at Brentford in September without him. Emmanuel Emegha arrived from Strasbourg in the summer to provide cover, but he has had a quiet start.

Should Chelsea pay £50m for Matanović?

Not at that price, and not in January. Liam Delap cost £30m and scored twice in 41 games last season, a reminder of how quickly expensive strikers stall at Stamford Bridge. Emegha has barely had a chance, so judging him now would be premature.

Matanović would also arrive behind Pedro, so £50m buys a rotation option rather than a solution, and Chelsea already paid for that cover when they signed Emegha. The bigger weakness sits elsewhere, since Chelsea have conceded 16 in 10 league games and Alonso wants more control and pressure from his side.

Matanović’s pressing does suit that demand, and his aerial threat would give Chelsea something Pedro’s link-up game doesn’t, so he deserves a proper look in the summer if Pedro stays injury-prone and Emegha hasn’t settled. By then, Freiburg may sell, and Chelsea could negotiate nearer £40m. Paying £50m in January would be buying a headline.