Chelsea are prepared to snub Fulham's interest in striker Armando Broja in January.
The 22-year-old has been the subject of an approach from Fulham as they target a new frontman to replace Aleksandar Mitrovic, who left for Al-Hilal in the summer.
Broja is seen as a viable option but Mauricio Pochettino is keen to use him in the coming weeks after his return from a long-term knee injury.
The Albania international has not started a game since October but made a significant impact for Chelsea by winning a last-minute penalty in the 4-4 draw with Manchester City before the international break.
Having scored on his first start after 10 months out at Fulham last month, Broja has recovered from a minor knock and is again ready to start matches.
He will push to take Nicolas Jackson’s No9 spot and is understood to be in no rush to leave Stamford Bridge.
Broja had interest from both AC Milan and West Ham in the summer but refused to entertain a move away.
"A lot of players would get frustrated with a lack of minutes, but for me, I know I've come back from a big injury,” Broja told the Secret Scout YouTube channel yesterday. “I need to prove myself again to the manager, staff, club, and fans. I'm blessed to be in the position I'm in.”
Fulham will look to sign a striker as one of their top priorities in January.
Willian scored two decisive penalties in their 3-2 win over Wolves on Monday and is the top scorer in the Cottagers squad on three goals. Raul Jimenez and Carlos Vinicius have both struggled this season.
Stuttgart's Serhou Guirassy and Wolfsburg's Jonas Wind are alternative Fulham targets as they sound out opportunities from across Europe.
Meanwhile, Chelsea are weighing up a striker of their own, which led Fulham to believe in a potential opportunity with Broja.
Pochettino remains cautious about making rash decisions as he continues to assess Broja, Jackson and Christopher Nkunku, who is back in partial team training and imminently expected to return after his knee injury.
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Napoli forward Victor Osimhen is a major target but is not expected to be available in January, except for an outrageous sum of money.
Even in the summer, the Nigeria international is expected to cost over £100million. Chelsea are also aware Brentford striker Ivan Toney is potentially available but has an £80m asking price.
