Chelsea consider sensational move for Ballon d’Or winner

Chelsea recorded a third consecutive Premier League victory as they beat West London rivals Fulham 1-0 on Saturday afternoon. 

Cole Palmer’s penalty in first-half added time earned the Blues an important victory at Stamford Bridge, just days after they had been beaten 1-0 by Middlesbrough in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side briefly moved up to seventh place in the Premier League table, but dropped back down to eighth when Manchester United drew 2-2 with Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

The Argentine remains keen to bolster his misfiring attack this month, and it appears that Chelsea could make a sensational swoop for a past Ballon d’Or winner.

According to The Telegraph, the Blues could look to sign a striker from the Saudi Arabian Pro League this month as a short-term solution to their goalscoring problems, and former Real Madrid man Karim Benzema could be a target.

Benzema has reportedly emerged as a shock target for Chelsea

The Frenchman scored a remarkable 354 goals in 648 matches for Real across all competitions, winning no fewer than 25 trophies during his time in the Spanish capital.

He departed the club to join Saudi side Al-Ittihad last summer, though, and has since netted 12 times in 20 games.

The report claims that Chelsea could look to sign the France international on a short-term loan deal as they look to improve their attacking output.

Chelsea have struggled in front of goal so far this season, with new signing Nicolas Jackson and academy product Armando Broja both failing to impress.

As well as Benzema, the report also claims that the Blues could look to sign former Liverpool star Roberto Firmino.

The Brazilian departed Anfield to join Al-Ahli last summer, but has since scored just three times in 19 matches across all competitions.