Chelsea is reportedly to reopen their interest in Napoli forward, Victor Osimhen, by preparing new talks to secure a deal in this transfer window.
The 25-year-old Osimhen has been of interest to Chelsea over the past year, and though the release clause is inclusively at €130 million, Chelsea is preparing for new discussions aimed at signing the Nigerian international.
Chelsea will be looking to do a player-plus-cash deal involving Romelu Lukaku and Cesare Casadei in order to complete the deal for him and land a new number nine this summer.
Although Osimhen only scored 15 goals in 25 Serie A appearances last season, one cannot take away from him the fact that he has enormous potential when it comes to scoring.
In addition to that, there is also pressure from the fact that he has just two years remaining on his contract.
On the other side, Napoli remains rigid, not intending to sell him for less than €130 million.
Now it is up to Chelsea to decide if it can therefore afford such a big release clause as it weighs other transfer options.
While Osimhen is a primary target, Chelsea is also showing “concrete” interest in the Borussia Dortmund forward Karim Adeyemi, besides Jhon Duran, Samu Omorodion, and Ollie Watkins.
It is rather obvious that Chelsea is really pushing for revamping of their forward line for the upcoming season.
Paris Saint-Germain now presents a big problem as Chelsea looks to go after Osimhen.
Following Kylian Mbappe’s potential move to Real Madrid, PSG wants top-class replacements.
Reports have it they are offering a combined bid of €200m for Osimhen and his Napoli teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
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As huge as the offer remains, Napoli are likely to snub the proposal because they plan to hold on to Kvaratskhelia.
It’s wide open for Chelsea, but the added pressure is now on them to make a quick and decisive move.
The interest from the Saudi Pro League has also come out for Osimhen.
With large financial backing from the Saudi government, its clubs are becoming real destinations for top players, thereby relegating Chelsea’s plans down the pecking order.
Initial interest in Osimhen was shown by Arsenal, only to switch and focus on Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori; this has ultimately ruled them out of the race for the Napoli forward.
The shift takes some competition away from Chelsea but does hammer home their need to move fast in the striker search.
Chelsea’s reported interest in signing Victor Osimhen underlines determination to strengthen an attacking line up that is looking awkwardly unbalanced.
While the €130 million release clause is a big hurdle, the potential inclusion of Romelu Lukaku and Cesare Casadei in a swap deal could help ease the negotiations a bit.
Chelsea has stiff competition from PSG and interest from the Saudi Pro League; therefore, this needs to go fast and strategic for Osimhen’s signature.
This runs parallel to the pursuit of other targets like Karim Adeyemi in case they have to go for other alternatives to strengthen the squad for the new season.
