Chelsea may have to look elsewhere for a new striker after their reported transfer target Goncalo Ramos sustained a serious ankle injury in Paris Saint-Germain's opening match of the Ligue 1 season.
The 23-year-old Portugal international scored 11 goals and provided two assists in the French top flight last season and made 40 appearances for Les Parisiens across all competitions.
PSG signed Ramos from Benfica during the January transfer window for a fee of around £57m plus add-ons and handed him a contract that extends until the summer of 2028.
Despite having already made 10 new signings this summer, the Blues continue to be linked with several top strikers, including the likes of Ramos, Napoli's Victor Osimhen and Evan Ferguson of Brighton & Hove Albion.
However, it seems that the Blues will now have to cross the Portuguese international off their transfer wishlist after he lasted just 20 minutes in the Ligue 1 champions' first match of the 2024-25 season.
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Ramos limps off in PSG's league opener
Ramos made a bright start to Les Parisiens' opening match of the season against Le Havre and notched up his first goal contribution of the new campaign by setting up Lee Kang-in for the first goal of the match just three minutes in.
However, the 23-year-old forward was unable to impact the game for much longer after he went down to a poor tackle by Etienne Youte Kinkoue before the halfway mark of the first period.
While PSG went on to win the match 4-1 thanks to another three goals by Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola and Randal Kolo Muani, Luis Enrique was evidently concerned about the extent of the injury to his centre-forward.
When questioned about Ramos' injury in his post-match press conference, Enrique responded: "I'm not a doctor but I think it looks pretty serious.
"I don't know how many weeks he will be out injured but it's serious," as reported by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
Images from several news outlets also showed Ramos leaving the stadium wearing a protective boot.
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Ramos to undergo surgery - out for three months
Unfortunately for PSG, Enrique's initial observation of Ramos's injury was correct, with the club confirming on Saturday that the striker will have to undergo ankle surgery and is set to be sidelined for the next three months.
The news will undoubtedly come as a major setback to the French giants, who have yet to fill the massive void left by Kylian Mbappe's departure to Real Madrid earlier this summer.
Les Parisiens have not made any marquee signings to replace Mbappe as yet and are also currently missing two first-team regulars, with Nuno Mendes suspended and Fabian Ruiz not ready to start after helping Spain win the European Championship.
One player who has reportedly been put on high alert following the confirmation of Ramos's injury is Nigerian international Victor Osimhen.
The Napoli forward made his club aware that he wished to leave this summer and was heavily linked with a move to the French capital as well as Stamford Bridge prior to the start of the season.
With Ramos now likely to miss possibly the remainder of the calendar year, PSG may be forced to bring in a replacement in this transfer window which could reignite their interest in Osimhen, who is believed to be keen on the move.
The Portuguese international's injury is also likely to lead to Chelsea turning their attention to other transfer targets, which could see them return for Osimhen before the transfer window slams shut.
Devesh Jaganath
