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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Nizaar Kinsella

Mauricio Pochettino rules out exit as Chelsea hunt for more attacking signings

Mauricio Pochettino says Armando Broja remains a key part of his plans despite his desire for more signings in a sensational £400million summer.

The 21-year-old striker has been out with a major knee injury since last December but has returned to training and is nearing his return.

West Ham, who the Blues face on Sunday, are interested in signing Broja alongside Italian giants AC Milan and Roma.

Transfer news LIVE! Follow all the latest Chelsea gossip and rumours!

Pochettino says, however, that Broja remains in his thoughts despite Chelsea’s clear desire to sign another forward. He said: “We are working, of course. We are looking at all of the options that we can manage on the market.

“But I think at the same time, we are keeping one or two eyes on Armando Broja. We cannot forget him. We cannot stop him. We really believe in him – we know how important he can be for Chelsea.

“We need to be careful. I think it’s a big disappointment with the situation of Christopher [Nkunku’s injury] because he should be a really important player for us and to help Nico Jackson score goals.

“That is football and we need to accept that situation. Sometimes we cannot go for some player that maybe we already have.

“We need to be patient and adapt our squad and get positive results while waiting for Armando to be fully fit.”

New target: Chelsea are considering a move for Brennan Johnson (Getty Images)

Chelsea, meanwhile, missed out on Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise who signed a new four-year deal in South London. Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson is among the alternatives being considered to boost the forward line.

They have signed duo Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia for a combined total of £163m from under the noses of rivals Liverpool.

Pochettino is pleased to see the pair chose Chelsea over Jurgen Klopp’s side, adding: “That is about the players’ decision. It’s the players’ decision to come here.

“It wasn’t a competition – the players decided to join us. That makes us very happy and they speak really highly of the owners, our sporting director and the way that they work to earn the target.

“The club worked really, really hard. I would like to congratulate the owners, the sporting directors and everyone involved because the job was amazing. To add this sort of player like Moises, or Romeo now, I think it was fantastic work from the club.

“We need to congratulate the job they are doing, the owners and the sporting directors because it was fantastic. It’s really exciting moment for the club.”

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