Chelsea eye loan moves for Karim Benzema, Roberto Firmino

Chelsea have been tipped to explore loan moves for Karim Benzema and Roberto Firmino as they seek a solution to their goalscoring woes this month.

The Blues have once again struggled to put the ball in the back of the net this season and a fresh hip injury to Christopher Nkunku, who missed the first half of the season through injury, has left Chelsea exploring their options in attack.

A new striker signing is likely in 2024 and among the top targets is Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, although the Nigeria international is expected to be too expensive this month, which has forced Chelsea to explore alternative targets.

According to The Telegraph, Chelsea could look to Saudi Arabia, with both Benzema and Firmino tipped to leave the Middle East and return to Europe by various media outlets in recent weeks.

Marca state that Benzema, who joined Al Ittihad this summer when his Real Madrid contract expired, has not returned to training after being granted time off and manager Marcelo Gallardo has subsequently banished him from the first-team fold.

It is claimed that Benzema also missed more training sessions towards the end of last year, leaving him facing an uncertain future with the Saudi side.

Benzema has had a steady start to life with Al Ittihad, racking up 12 goals in 20 appearances but falling well short of the standards he set during his final years with Madrid. The 36-year-old was among Europe’s top marksmen last season, finding the back of the net 31 times in all competitions.

Such firepower would be huge for Chelsea, who have also been tipped to look at Firmino in search of a solution.

Firmino is open to returning to the Premier League after losing his spot in Al Ahli’s starting lineup. The former Liverpool forward has just three goals from 19 appearances since moving to Saudi Arabia.