Chelsea join Newcastle and AC Milan in transfer battle for Villarreal striker

Villarreal forward Arnaut Danjuma has been a name linked with a move to some of Europe's biggest clubs after impressing in La Liga. The Dutchman's maiden season in Spain saw him notch in 16 goals in all competitions after joining from AFC Bournemouth.

Danjuma, 25, was pivotal in Unai Emery's side reaching to the Champions League semi-finals last season, scoring six goals in the competition - the same as Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe. He has continued to impress in front of goal this season with three goals, despite missing the first month of action.

Chelsea's striker position has been one filled with history and failures - recent examples of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner providing evidence of this. The summer signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has provided a short-term fix, but there's the likelihood that Graham Potter will seek a new No. 9 in the future.

Aubameyang has scored three goals in seven appearances since arriving under Thomas Tuchel and Armando Broja was selected to start in the goalless draw with Brentford on Tuesday evening. Chelsea's struggles in front of goal have been evident already this season, with the Blues the joint-lowest scorers in the top seven - Leicester City in 19th have scored more goals.

With that in mind, it is not surprising that the Blues have been linked with Danjuma. According to Italian outlet CMW, Chelsea and AC Milan have joined Newcastle United in being interested in the forward. The report claims the Italian champions are keen to make a move for the 25-year-old to replace the ageing Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Olivier Giroud.

A move back to the Premier League could tempt Danjuma, with a point to prove after failing to impress during his time at Bournemouth in 2019. The Netherlands international failed to score in any of his 14 appearances, but improved massively in the Championship with 17 goals in 35 appearances.

The striker was linked with a move in the summer, with Arsenal and West Ham identified as possible destinations. With his ability to play in a variety of positions, it was reported in Spain that £31 million would be required to lure Villarreal to sell, but neither side opted to fulfil their interest.