It's an open secret that Chelsea will look to improve their forward line in this summer's transfer market. And top of their wanted list is... well, you almost certainly know by now.
But for those who do not own a smartphone, are not on social media, or do not do the old-fashioned thing of buying a newspaper (remember those?), the Blues' prime target is Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland.
The Norwegian striker is being courted by several of Europe's most powerful sides ahead of the transfer window. That's no surprise given he's struck 49 goals in 49 appearances for the Bundesliga club that he joined in January 2019 from Red Bull Salzburg.
According to ESPN, Dortmund will demand around £150million for Haaland this summer, a fee which would make him, by some distance, the most-expensive signing in Premier League history.
In Roman Abramovich, Chelsea have an owner that could bankroll such a deal with ease.
And if the Blues were able to convince Haaland to turn down interest from the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Real Madrid, and a host of other clubs to move to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea would possess one of the most formidable forward lines in European football.
Haaland would almost certainly be the pillar around which the rest of the Blues attack would be constructed. Given his goalscoring prowess, that would be entirely understandable. But behind the 20-year-old would be an array of attacking talent, much of which was signed last summer.
Squeezing it all into the same starting XI would be impossible for Thomas Tuchel, there are simply not enough attacking positions no matter the formation deployed.
On the basis that Olivier Giroud leaves Stamford Bridge when his contract expires at the end of June, Chelsea would possess the following attackers ahead of the 2021/22 campaign: Tammy Abraham, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
And that's even before the discussion has taken place as to whether Ruben Loftus-Cheek is brought back into the first-team picture following his loan spell at Fulham.
If such a wealth of options became a reality for Tuchel, the German coach would almost certainly have to switch from his 3-4-2-1 system to a system that accommodates more forwards.
4-2-3-1
In this shape, the Chelsea boss could deploy Haaland (ST), Havertz (No.10), Werner (LW), and Ziyech (RW) in the same system. Such a prospect would be enticing as the foursome would blend power, pace, guile and off-the-ball intelligence.
But there's no Mount – undoubtedly the Blues' player of this season – while Pulisic and Hudson-Odoi would also feel hard done by.
There would also be no spot for Abraham, Chelsea's current top scorer. The academy graduate has struck 12 times for the Blues this term and found the net on 18 occasions during the 2019/20 season. He is a natural goalscorer and has proven himself a Premier League forward.
Would he be happy to remain at Stamford Bridge if Haaland was to arrive, playing deputy to a striker three years his junior? Perhaps not. And if that's the case, the Blues may be forced to cash in on Abraham, who wouldn't be short of potential suitors.
4-1-4-1
Perhaps Tuchel could take a leaf out of Pep Guardiola's playbook and deploy a 4-1-4-1 shape in which two central midfielders as effectively number tens. That would enable Haaland (ST), Werner (LW), Havertz (No.10), Mount (No.10), and one of Ziyech, Hudson-Odoi or Pulisic to operate on the right flank.
In that system, however, N'Golo Kante would be left with an awful lot of defensive work to get through as the sole screening midfielder even if Reece James and Ben Chilwell tucked into central areas à la Joao Cancelo and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
There's little doubt Haaland's signing would ensure Chelsea's forward line – no matter who occupies the positions behind him – would be the envy of Europe. It's down to the Blues to make that happen this summer.
