Chelsea out in the cold as Napoli agree £55m deal with Saudi side for Osimhen

Two-time UEFA Champions League winners, Chelsea, might have to move on to another striker as Napoli are close to reaching an agreement with a Saudi-based club for Victor Osimhen, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Nigerian forward has been linked with a move away from the Armando Maradona Stadium, but his €130m release clause has been a stumbling block to an exit.

PSG, Arsenal, and Chelsea have backed off from a deal with Osimhen as Napoli’s request has been too expensive to conjure up for these clubs. It was also reported that the former Wolfsburg striker requested weekly wages of around £500,000 during negotiations, which scared potential suitors off.

According to The Sun, Chelsea are set to miss out on Victor Osimhen, as Napoli are just inches away from agreeing to a £55m package with Saudi Pro League side, Al Ahli, for the ex-LOSC Lille forward.

Ron Gourlay, Chelsea’s ex-CEO, worked under Roman Abramovich between 2009 and 2014, when the club recorded enormous success, lifting the UEFA Champions League in 2012 and the UEFA Europa League in 2013.

The Scotsman took on an executive role with Al Ahli in January 2024 and sees Osimhen as a perfect profile for his club, and the PIF-backed outfit will be able to comfortably afford Osimhen’s extraordinary £500,000 per-week salary demands.

According to transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano, the deal is almost done, pending small details. Additionally, the Italian clarified that there is still a distance between all parties involved, regarding personal terms.

Osimhen is yet to feature for Napoli this season, while Nicolas Jackson has been trying to prove to the Chelsea management that he can step up to the goalscoring prowess the Blues are looking for.