Premier League leaders Chelsea are the latest club that have been reported to be keen on signing former Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez.
German news publication Bild have reported that Bayer Leverkusen could be ready to listen to offers for Javier Hernandez, if a club met their price, before adding that current Premier League leaders are interested with Antonio Conte keen on adding the Mexico international to his squad.
Hernandez, also affectionately known as ‘Chicharito’, moved to Bayer Leverkusen from Chelsea’s rivals Manchester United last season. His start to life in the Bundesliga was exemplary, as he won the league’s Player of the Month award for three months in succession, having scored important goals for Roger Schmidt’s side.
BILD: Leverkusen would consider selling Javier Hernandez if they received offers between €30m-€40m. Chelsea are interested. #B04 #CFC
— Bundesliga Spotlight (@BundesligaSpot) December 28, 2016
However, he has failed to replicate the success of last campaign – when he scored 26 goals – at the start of this season, having scored just seven times in 19 appearances for Leverkusen thus far, with no goals in his last fourteen outings in all competitions.
However, that doesn’t seem to have deterred Antonio Conte, who could enter the market for a striker in the January transfer window, with his club also linked to Atalanta’s Frank Kessie. Chelsea, if they do decide to make a move for Hernandez, will face competition for his acquisition, as both Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool are also keeping tabs on the Mexican striker.
Hernandez’s current deal with Leverkusen will run out in the summer of 2018, and his contract is reported to have a buyout clause of £33.5 million. Indeed, the figure reported by Bild lies in the same region, as their report states that Leverkusen will only listen to offers between €30 million-€40 million.
Despite the hefty price tag, money will not be a roadblock in Chelsea’s pursuit of Hernandez, as his successful stint with Manchester United showed that he has a penchant for grabbing important goals. Chicharito scored 37 Premier League goals for the Red Devils at an impressive rate of 130 minutes per goal.
With Michy Batshuayi struggling to make a mark at Stamford Bridge so far, Hernandez’s acquisition could prove to be a masterstroke on the part of Conte, as he searches for an able backup for talismanic striker Diego Costa.
