The Frenchman joined the Blues from Leipzig earlier this summer and he had a lively pre-season campaign with goal contributions.

However, he won't be involved for the first half of the campaign after picking up a knee injury against Borussia Dortmund this month.

It was initially considered as a short-term issue, but after careful examination, he has undergone an operation to rectify the problem.

The news will come as a huge blow for the west London giants, who were planning to play him as their main striker next season.

In his absence, Nicolas Jackson will need to step up to lead the line. The Senegal ace also had a positive pre-season under Mauricio Pochettino .

The Blues are bound to sign another striker before the transfer deadline. They could pursue the services of Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus.

The Serbian could join in a part-exchange deal for Romelu Lukaku .

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