Chelsea: Antonio Conte Adds Sergio Agüero To List Of Attacking Targets Amid Growing Striker Crisis
Chelsea has expressed "serious and strong interest" in signing Manchester City striker Sergio Agüero this summer, according to reports.
The Argentinian fell out of favor at the Etihad Stadium under Pep Guardiola last season, with the Spanish coach preferring 20-year-old Gabriel Jesus as his main striker.
Although it appears a desperate attempt by the Premier League champion, Chelsea is in dire need of a prolific goal scorer to spearhead its attack next season.
Conte's team missed out on 24-year-old Romelu Lukaku from Everton, snatched away in a £75 million (about $98 million) deal by Jose Mourinho's Manchester United. That surprise came just weeks after Conte told Diego Costa, the club's top scorer last season, that he would not be in his plans at Chelsea in the future.
Chelsea is currently left with 23-year-old Michy Batshuayi as its only striker option and so is frantically searching the transfer market for potential signings.
According to Sky Sports, Agüero has become one of the top targets for the west London club but recognizes that City will be reluctant to let him leave for Stamford Bridge.
Agüero, 29, has scored 122 goals in 157 games in the Premier League since joining City from Atlético Madrid for £38 million in 2011.
Related: Is this how Antonio Conte's new-look Chelsea team will line up next season?
He joins a list of strikers Chelsea has been linked to since missing out on Lukaku to United, which includes a former target of Mourinho.
United had been heavily linked to Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata, with a fee of £70 million expected, but Mourinho's team preferred to sign Lukaku. Now, Chelsea has taken its place and is considering making an offer for the 24-year-old Spaniard.
Morata is joined by Andrea Belotti, of Torino, and Borussia Dortmund's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the list of transfer targets. Aubameyang has reportedly been given a short window of opportunity to move to Stamford Bridge by the Bundesliga club.
Related: How Chelsea plans to remedy striker crisis this summer
