Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino will be preparing his side for their crucial Carabao Cup tie against Middlesbrough on Tuesday evening.
The Blues go into the semi-final second leg needing to overturn a 1-0 deficit after slumping to defeat at The Riverside a fortnight ago.
Since then Chelsea have defeated West London rivals Fulham 1-0 at Stamford Bridge, before enjoying a weekend off this week as part of the Premier League’s winter break.
Pochettino will be confident that his side can overturn Boro’s lead and book their place in the cup final at Wembley, but they will have to do so without a number of key players as they continue to struggle with several injuries.
Now, it appears that the Blues are set to miss out on one of their transfer targets.
According to The Sun, West Ham United are set to beat both Chelsea and Newcastle United to the signing of Bayer Leverkusen forward Victor Boniface.
The report claims that the Hammers are prepared to break their transfer record in order to land the 23-year-old.
Boniface has attracted interest form several Premier League clubs
Boniface joined Leverkusen from Union Saint-Gilloise last summer after impressing for the Belgian side, scoring 22 goals in 55 games across all competitions last term.
The Nigerian has continued his fine form since arriving in Germany, netting 16 times in 23 games across all competitions for Xabi Alonso’s side.
Leverkusen currently sit top of the Bundesliga table, and Boniface’s ten goals in 16 league games so far has helped propel them to the summit.
West Ham technical director, Tim Steidten, is said to be pushing for the East London outfit to move for the Nigeria international, who has been caped four times by his country at senior level.
The report also claims that, if West Ham do sign Boniface, they could then sell both Michail Antonio and Danny Ings.
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