Chelsea [ Images ] have made a formal bid to sign Brazil [ Images ] striker Robinho [ Images ] from Real Madrid [ Images ].

"Further to media reports Chelsea Football Club can confirm we have made an offer to Real Madrid today for the transfer of Robinho," the Premier League club said in a brief statement on its website.

No mention was made of the size of the bid but British media reports said Luiz Felipe Scolari's [ Images ] team had offered to pay 19.7 million pounds ($38.45 million) for Robinho.

Scolari, who took over as coach last month, is in desperate need of a striker as he prepares for the opening Premier League game of the season at home to Portsmouth on August 17.

Didier Drogba [ Images ] will miss the opening two games of the campaign because of a knee injury while fellow Ivory Coast striker Salomon Kalou [ Images ] is on Olympic [ Images ] duty in Beijing [ Images ].

That leaves Chelsea with only Nicolas Anelka [ Images ], Andriy Shevchenko and out-of-favour Claudio Pizarro to call upon in attack.

Robinho has been a target for the London [ Images ] club throughout the close season.