Chelsea targeting Europe's top marksman as Tuchel prepares for double summer exit

Chelsea are expected to demand a fee close to £40 million for Tammy Abraham

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is reportedly pondering a changing of the guard in the Blues' striker department ahead of next season, with a double exit in the offing.

Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud are said to be in the firing line with both strikers currently out of favour under the German manager. The former was a regular under former manager Frank Lampard, but has not seen regular game time since Tuchel's arrival.

The England international has scored 12 goals and assisted six in 31 appearances in all competitions this season, but has managed just 68 minutes of Premier League football in his last 12 games of which he was sidelined with injury for five.

Giroud, on the other hand, has contributed 11 goals in 27 appearances in all competitions but has found himself on the bench increasingly in recent weeks. In the last nine games, he has come off the bench twice playing a total of 78 minutes of football.

Tuchel has preferred Timo Werner - 11 goals in 45 games - and Kai Havertz – 6 goals in 39 games – as his attacking options in recent games, both in the domestic league and the Champions League.

According to the Telegraph, Chelsea will listen to offers for Abraham this summer and are expected to consider anything close to the £40 million mark for the young Englishman. West Ham United are among the clubs interested in signing the striker, while Leicester City are also said to be admirers of the forward.

Giroud, meanwhile, is in the final two months of his contract with the Blues and with no extension on offer, the Frenchman is expected to seek new pastures. The 2018 World Cup winner will certainly have numerous suitors especially in his homeland, owing to his achievements not only with the Blues but also their London rivals Arsenal.

Chelsea are reportedly keen to bring in a top quality forward next summer and are said to have identified Europe's top marksman, Robert Lewandowski, as a potential target. However, it is believed that they will only move for the Poland international if their top two targets – Erling Haaland and former striker Romelu Lukaku – are unavailable.