Chelsea's transfer U-turn! Mauricio Pochettino admits Blues may now pursue new striker with Christopher Nkunku's latest injury worse than first thought

Having previously suggested it wasn't necessary to sign another forward this month, Pochettino was asked if Nkunku's hip injury has changed Chelsea's view with regard to a possible transfer hunt. He replied that, depending on the severity, it may now do.

"It's true that now in the next few days, we are going to see the situation. That's why I told you that I am a little worried," the Chelsea boss told reporters ahead of Saturday's game against Fulham.

"I still don't have all the information about whether [Nkunku] is going to be available or not for a small initial period. We need to be very clinical to take some decisions to think and see how we fix the problem.

"All of these situations make our job a little more difficult. I told you before that it is an exciting project but situations like this make it more difficult to change the situation and grow at a different pace."

Nkunku was signed for £53 million ($67m) last June, a deal thought to have been agreed at least six months earlier. But Chelsea fans have barely seen the player who scored 58 goals in 88 appearances in his final two seasons at RB Leipzig, due to a pre-season knee injury that required surgery and delayed the Frenchman's debut until December. He had only played four times in all competitions by the time he was sidelined again with a hip problem suffered in early January. Pochettino had earlier admitted he is 'worried' by the injury and another absence.

Chelsea need to assess just how long Nkunku will be ruled out for and then need to make a decision on whether they need to reinforce while the January transfer window is open. Although the Blues have Cole Palmer and several wingers, Armando Broja is the only available striker in the first-team squad while Nicolas Jackson is on Senegal duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.