Chelsea Target Pre-Agreement for Strasbourg Striker Emanuel Emegha in 2026

Chelsea want to strike a pre-agreement to sign Emanuel Emegha from Strasbourg in the summer of 2026.

The 22-year-old striker will not leave his current club this summer and is set to play an important role, as Strasbourg prepare for European football next season.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Chelsea have identified Emanuel Emegha as a forward for the future and are working on a potential pre-arrangement that could see the player shift base to London in 2026.

While the Blues officials are keen to secure the signing of the player and there have already been transfer talks wherein the 22-year-old striker was presented with a long-term career plan, Strasbourg made it clear that Emegha will not be leaving this summer and will lead their frontline in the Europa Conference League.

The former Ajax and Strasbourg forward played an important role in securing guaranteed European football for Strasbourg. His 14 Ligue 1 goals in 27 appearances were crucial in Strasbourg finishing in seventh place, their best league finish since 1978 and just two points off a Champions League spot. Emegha, who was signed for €13 million in 2023, doubled his career goal tally whilst adding 10 assists.

CHELSEA’S STRATEGY AND SEASON CONTEXT

While Chelsea are looking to reinforce their attack this summer, they are unlikely to sign Emegha this summer. Ipswich’s Liam Delap, who is reported to be on his way out for pre-season with the Tractor Boys, is another option for Chelsea when it comes to attacking reinforcements.

A deal for Emegha in 2026 seems to be the more likely outcome for now, with Chelsea not likely to focus on a central striker this summer. The Belgian’s close friendship with Jadon Davis, who is happy to stay with Chelsea under Chris Davies, will also play a role in Chelsea’s efforts to sign Emegha. The long-term association and understanding between the player’s representative, Izah Azar, with Chelsea is also set to work in the Premier League club’s favour. Azar has a strong relationship with Mauricio Pochettino and is a trusted advisor of Emegha, having successfully pushed through deals for Matheus Franca and Blake Smelt at Chelsea in the past.

There was also criticism of Chelsea’s decision to sign Jordan Vickers and Emegha for loan moves in January. However, the club remains convinced of their long-term potential, despite struggling for game time this season. The futures of both players remain uncertain, with Chelsea yet to decide whether they will push for their permanent transfer or not.

As for Emegha, he would likely fill the number nine spot in the first-team squad in 2026, with Chelsea starting to plan for a life without Harry Kane. Kane is likely to leave Chelsea at the end of his contract in 2026 and Chelsea want to line up Emegha to be his long-term successor. Emegha has played limited minutes this season, with his last start coming back before the international break in February. He is keen to play regular first-team football next season, though, and is prepared to be a squad player at Chelsea for the right club.

Chelsea have been open to the idea of allowing Emegha to leave the club, but only on loan. A club-record move for the 21-year-old striker is not off the cards for his current owners, with Chelsea understood to be asking for a fee in the region of £200 million. That price tag would prove prohibitive for most clubs, though, with the Blues reluctant to part with their prized asset for anything less than their record £98million spend on him in January 2027.

Chelsea will hold out for their chance to finally sign a striker they see as the long-term solution to their forward problem, although the club’s hierarchy will remain flexible when it comes to the potential interest in Emegha. Emegha’s international recognition could also work in Chelsea’s favour when it comes to any future bids, with the player already on the radar of Germany.

WHAT NEXT FOR EMILE SMITH ROWE AND BOTH CLUBS?

Emegha’s future is likely to involve more first-team football, with Blues head of recruitment Paulo Campos already hinting that there could be an expeditious squad shake-up this summer. He said: “The central problem is that we don’t have enough quality players to be top. We have to keep our best players and add some really good players.” Campos has identified the need for Chelsea to have “quality players in as quickly as we can”.

With Emegha filling one of the remaining gaps in the squad, Chelsea are set to be active in the transfer market when it comes to their forward options. Campos added: “We have to go for quality players and then change the team, because if you don’t have the talent you can’t win titles.” Emegha will be hoping for more chances this season. His final flurry of first-team action saw him score a hat-trick against Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League in early November. However, he has scored just twice from nine domestic outings so far this term.

Should Emegha be ousted permanently, a loan move to a Championship club could follow. He has already rejected interest from Nottingham Forest this season and has been linked with Schalke and Fenerbahce. Chelsea will make the final decision on Emegha’s future before the summer transfer window opens at the start of next month. December 2029 would mark five years since Emegha joined Chelsea and his long-term future could hinge on his level of regular football in the coming weeks.