According to reports from The Independent, Chelsea have identified West Bromwich Albion striker Saido Berahino as a potential midseason replacement for Diego Costa.
Since bursting onto the scene with a sensational strike at Old Trafford in 2013, the 22-year-old has emerged as one of the Premier League’s most promising young goalscorers, with ten strikes in eleven appearances for the England U21s and 17 in his last 48 league outings for the Baggies.
The Burundi-born starlet’s emphatic rise has not gone unnoticed by the Premier League’s top clubs. Tottenham Hotspur came close to signing him in the summer until a dispute over the structure of their £25million bid, leading to Berahino’s infamous Twitter rant at West Brom chairman Jeremy Peace, whilst Manchester United are also known admirers of the 5 foot 11 forward. They were linked during the final week of the summer transfer window and once again last month.
But Chelsea are the latest club to take an interest in Berahino and were mentioned as potential suitors last week.
The Independent claim the Blues will spend the next two weeks deciding Diego Costa’s future at the club following his poor start to the season, netting just four times in 17 appearances, and could draft in Berahino as a mid-season replacement.
There are other options on their radar, such as Napoli’s Gonzalo Higuain, but the Baggies forward represents a cheaper and likely more available target as he continues to stall on a contract extension at the Hawthorns.