Chelsea given all-clear signal to go all in for Nigerian striker after Liverpool exit

Victor Osimhen won the Capocannoniere award after scoring twenty-six goals in a Scudetto-winning season with Napoli in his second year.

Chelsea will be delighted to have one less competitor in the race to sign Napoli forward, Victor Osimhen, after Liverpool pulled out of the race for the Nigerian forward’s signature, Soccernet.ng reports.

Osimhen was nominated for both the FIFA Best Player award and the Ballon d’Or award after a stellar season in Naples, winning them their first league title in over three decades.

His twenty-six goals and four assists in the league saw him attract interest from top clubs like Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Real Madrid, but the Napoli hierarchy were unwilling to let the 24-year-old leave.

The start of the season, however, has not exactly turned out the way either party wanted it to be, with the Super Eagles striker yet to sign a new contract, and having a fall-out with the club and the coach.

A departure in the summer is looking increasingly likely as time winds down on his contract which expires in 2025, but according to Caught Offside, Liverpool have pulled out in the race to sign the Nigerian.

With a sale looking unlikely last summer, the Reds decided to trust their attacking options like Cody Gakpo, Mohammed Salah, Luis Diaz, and big-money signing, Darwin Núñez, freeing the way for an undeterred Chelsea to get their primary transfer target.

Chelsea have struggled to score goals this term, with Nikolas Jackson, Raheem Sterling and Armando Broja as options up-front, and their coach, Mauricio Pochettino has admitted to being a big fan of Osimhen in the past, and a move for the goal scorer only seems right to help the 2021 UEFA Champions League winners solve their goal-scoring problems.

Another option for Osimhen would be a move to Real Madrid, should Mbappe choose to stay in France.