The ongoing uncertainty surrounding Victor Osimhen is causing increasing frustration for the decision-makers at Napoli and Chelsea, Soccernet.ng reports.
Napoli are eager to see the departure of Osimhen to kickstart their transfer plans, particularly to facilitate the arrival of Romelu Lukaku, who is lined up as Osimhen’s successor.
However, the lack of any concrete offers for the Nigerian striker is proving to be a significant obstacle.
A few weeks ago, Osimhen appeared close to joining Paris Saint-Germain. Negotiations with Napoli were intense, with PSG’s Luis Campos and Nasser Al-Khelaïfi reportedly approving Osimhen as a potential replacement for Kylian Mbappé.
However, PSG manager Luis Enrique is not in favour of acquiring the Nigerian forward at Napoli’s quoted €130 million fee, which has stalled the move. Unless there is a change in PSG’s stance, it seems unlikely that they will pursue Osimhen further.
This is a setback for Napoli, who were banking on the sale of Osimhen for at least €100 million to finance their transfer activities.
Lukaku, identified as Osimhen’s replacement, is already waiting in the wings.
The Belgium international, a key player under Antonio Conte at Inter Milan, scored 64 goals in 95 games during their collaboration and is keen to reunite with the Italian manager at Napoli.
Chelsea, who are looking to offload Lukaku and his substantial salary (over €11 million per year), have agreed to a €40 million deal with Napoli.
However, this agreement hinges on Napoli first selling Osimhen. The delay in Osimhen’s sale is frustrating both clubs, as it is preventing progress on other potential transfers.
Chelsea’s patience is wearing thin, especially as other clubs have shown interest in Lukaku.
Reports from Il Mattino indicate that an agreement with Aston Villa has been reached, but Lukaku is not interested in moving to Birmingham. He prefers a move to Napoli under Conte and is willing to wait for the situation to resolve, much to Chelsea’s dismay.
In other words, the transfer market stalemate is largely due to the absence of any substantial offers for Victor Osimhen, leaving both Napoli and Chelsea stuck in a frustrating deadlock.
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