Fulham in audacious Chelsea raid after Silva decides ‘key target’, with West Ham move in jeopardy

Armando Broja and Marc Cucurella applaud Chelsea fans

Fulham are reportedly planning an ambitious January swoop for Chelsea striker Armando Broja, in a move which would see West Ham United miss out.

Broja is a product of the Chelsea academy who made his senior debut for the Blues in March 2020. In August 2021, he was loaned out to former Premier League side Southampton in order to gain more first-team experience.

Broja made a good impression at St Mary’s, leading Southampton’s forward line for much of the campaign and notching nine goals in 38 appearances.

The 22-year-old was hoping to make his mark when returning to Chelsea the following season, but he sadly suffered an ACL injury in December last year and missed the remainder of the campaign.

Broja is now back in action and has made six appearances this term, registering one goal and one assist. Mauricio Pochettino rates him highly, and the Albania international will be hoping to usurp Nicolas Jackson by getting into the Chelsea starting lineup.

Although, Broja may soon have a new obstacle for playing time, as Chelsea are prioritising the capture of Napoli centre-forward Victor Osimhen in January.

Osimhen’s potential arrival at Stamford Bridge has led to renewed interest in Broja’s services. On November 21, TEAMtalk exclusively revealed that West Ham have added him to their shortlist as they try to bolster their striker ranks.

But West Ham might be beaten to the transfer by fellow London club Fulham. According to the Daily Mail, Fulham have just joined the chase for Broja, with manager Marco Silva deciding on him as a ‘key January target’.

Fulham in for Chelsea man Armando Broja

Fulham would ideally like to sign him on a permanent basis, but they know Chelsea are reluctant to sanction such an exit. As such, it is likely a January loan move could happen.

While Broja holds great love for Chelsea, he would probably jump at the chance to head to Fulham and start regularly at Craven Cottage. This would give him the chance to impress Chelsea chiefs from afar and potentially return as a better player next summer.

Intriguingly, Broja is not the only attacker Fulham and West Ham have converged on. They have both been named as potential suitors for unhappy RB Leipzig man Timo Werner. And earlier on Tuesday, it emerged that Man Utd have incredibly made an ‘enquiry’ to sign the Chelsea flop, too.

But sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that Werner will not push to return to England following his underwhelming spell at Chelsea.

Fulham are also known to be big admirers of Stuttgart’s Serhou Guirassy, who has netted a stunning 16 goals in just 11 outings so far this season. However, the Cottagers know that Guirassy will be pursued by plenty of top clubs in the new year, and they have prepared themselves for transfer disappointment by landing on Broja as an alternative target.

Meanwhile, West Ham have been given hope over a shock move for a former Tottenham player, according to reports.