Chelsea are considering a surprise swoop for West Ham United forward Marko Arnautovic. According to recent reports in the English press, the Blues are lining up a shock move for the Hammers star as they look to address their attacking options before the January transfer window comes to a close later this month. Chelsea manager Antonio Conte wants to bring in a target man this month and the Austrian international has emerged as the latest member in their January short-list.
The 28-year-old forward signed for West Ham last summer from Stoke City for a deal worth in the region of £25m and has been in sensational form this season. Arnautovic has scored six goals and provided three assists in his last eight Premier League appearances for the East London club after manager David Moyes has deployed him in a more central attacking role in the Hammers first-team.
The Blues have already been linked with the likes of Andy Carroll, Peter Crouch, Christian Benteke and Edin Dzeko of late but has so far been unable to secure any of his targets this month. Conte is eager to bring in another striker with Alvaro Morata struggling to find form this season. The Italian manager does not fancy Michy Batshuayi and could look to loan him in January.
Chelsea are currently in 3rd place in the Premier League table, a massive 15 points behind league leaders Manchester City. The Londoners are looking to consolidate their position in the top 4 and are fighting in four different competitions going into the second half of the season. They have a Carabao Cup second leg trip to the Emirates Stadium to look forward to on Tuesday night after securing a goalless draw at home to Arsenal in the first leg. The Blues will also face Barcelona in the Champions League which would provide a stern test of their European credentials in February.
The addition of Arnautovic will undoubtedly be a huge boost to their attacking options as they chase some silverware in the coming months. The Austrian international has scored 6 goals and provided 5 assists in 23 matches for West Ham in all competitions this season. He has also earned 67 international caps of the Austrian national team, scoring 16 goals for his country during his career.
He has proven himself in the Premier League and would be a low-risk investment for Chelsea if they are successful in their attempts to lure him to Stamford Bridge. It remains to be seen what lies ahead in the future of the Hammers star.
