Chelsea enter race to sign Nottingham Forest star Brennan Johnson

Chelsea have joined the battle to sign Brennan Johnson from Nottingham Forest and the Blues have begun talks for the Wales international.

The 22-year-old has attracted plenty of attention, with Tottenham and West Ham interested, while Brentford saw a £35m bid for the forward rejected.

The Evening Standard report that the Blues fancy their chances of getting Johnson for £40m, although Forest have previously valued him at £45m-50m.

Johnson’s rise to prominence

Johnson was a big part of the Forest team which won promotion from the Championship in 2022 and remained key for Steve Cooper last season, scoring eight goals in 38 league games.

He started the first game of the season last weekend and spurned a great early chance for Forest as they went on to lose to Arsenal at the Emirates.

Chelsea’s search for a forward

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is keen to add another forward to his squad, especially after the significant knee injury suffered by new signing Christopher Nkunku who is likely to be out till December.

Another summer signing, Nicolas Jackson, started in the centre-forward role against Liverpool on Sunday, but Pochettino does not have a wealth of options behind the man signed from Villarreal.

Competition for Johnson’s signature

The Blues were confident of bringing in Michael Olise from Crystal Palace, but the 21-year-old has opted to sign a new deal with the Eagles instead.

The Blues made a £35m bid for Olise which met his release clause, but the winger did not respond and has instead signed a new four-year contract at Selhurst Park.

Conclusion

Chelsea are now firmly in the race to sign Johnson, but they face competition from other Premier League clubs. Johnson is highly rated by Forest and they are likely to demand a fee of at least £45m for his services.

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