News

Chelsea prepare two players plus cash offer for Osimhen as talks with Napoli progress

English Premier League side, Chelsea, are progressing in their pursuit of Super Eagles and Napoli striker, Victor James Osimhen, Soccernet.ng reports.

Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal have been linked with the former Wolfsburg man, but none of them could conjure up Napoli’s asking price of €130m.

Chelsea looked to have had a deal in place with Atletico De Madrid for Samu Omorodion, but the transfer fell through in the final minutes, re-opening a window for the Blues to discuss a deal for Osimhen.

According to the Scottish Sun, Chelsea are on the verge of completing an £85m deal for Victor Osimhen in an extraordinary player-swap deal.

The report stated Chelsea will include Romelu Lukaku and former Leicester City midfielder, Cesare Casadei, plus a further £39m to seal the transfer.

Antonio Conte is keen on signing Lukaku before the transfer window shuts on the last day of this month, and Osimhen is open to moving to London as long as the deal is permanent.

Chelsea’s billionaire owner, Todd Boehly, has already spent £152m this summer, bringing in the likes of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Marc Guiu, Pedro Neto and Jorgensen. Since the American took over at the club, the two-time UEFA Champions League winners have spent £1.114b on bringing players in.

With Omorodion’s deal off the table, Enzo Maresca wants another striker to lead the line ahead of Nicolas Jackson, and Osimhen fits the ideal profile for Pep Guardiola’s ex-assistant.

The swap deal would represent a staggering loss for Chelsea, effectively getting £46m for two players who cost them a combined £114.5m in the last three years. Lukaku’s £97.5m transfer from Inter Milan in 2021 was just shy of the Premier League record at the time. Since then, Chelsea have brought in Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo for a combined fee of £202.97m.

However, the club will be looking to get Lukaku off their wage books as the Belgian forward earns a weekly wage of £325,000, and his departure will free a whopping £17 million in Chelsea’s books.

This post was last modified on %s = human-readable time difference 12:31 pm

Adefolahan Guerreiro

Adefolahan is a multilingual journalist and writer at Soccernet Nigeria. With a track record of involvement in College sports, Adefolahan is focused on crafting engaging football content and utilising his language skills and extensive sports knowledge to enhance content accessibility for a global audience. He has interviewed Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.

Share
Published by
Adefolahan Guerreiro

Recent Posts

“He can still play this year” – Boniface’s boss Alonso offers hope amid speculation of year-ending injury

Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso has provided an update on Nigerian striker Victor Boniface’s injury,… Read More

32 minutes ago

“He needs to decide” – Former Liverpool winger weighs in Osimhen’s future at Galatasaray

Former Liverpool winger Ryan Babel has called on Super Eagles attacker, Victor Osimhen, to make… Read More

1 hour ago

Bright Osayi-Samuel free to negotiate January pre-contract amid Fenerbahçe uncertainty

Super Eagles defender, Bright Osayi-Samuel, could negotiate a pre-contract with any club of his choice… Read More

4 hours ago

Deliver results to avoid criticism – Ex-Nigeria International to Eguavoen

Former Super Eagles and Enyimba International midfielder, Duke Udi, has sent a message to Augustine… Read More

5 hours ago

Report: Juventus eye Super Eagles striker as possible Vlahovic replacement

Former Italian Serie A champions Juventus could sign Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen if Dusan… Read More

6 hours ago

“European football is different from Africa” – Former Super Eagles midfielder urges Eguavoen to axe poor-performing players from national team

Former Super Eagles and Enyimba International midfielder, Duke Udi, has prompted Interim Super Eagles coach,… Read More

6 hours ago