EXCLUSIVE: Chelsea plan Brentford raid as Osimhen ruled out

Steve Kay

• Updated: 22 Apr 2023 11:43 BST
• 3 min read

Exclusive

Chelsea will not sign Victor Osimhen this summer and will instead look to raid Brentford as they look to overhaul their squad in the upcoming transfer window, FootballTransfers understands.

Osimhen, 24, has been heavily linked with an exit from Napoli after his blistering form in front of goal this season, but Chelsea have opted against pursuing a deal for the Nigerian forward.

Instead, they have turned their attention to Brentford’s Ivan Toney, who could be one of several Bees stars to join Chelsea once the 2022/23 season ends.

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The Blues are big admirers of Toney and view him as the potential solution to their lack of goals. The 27-year-old is currently the third top goal-scorer in the Premier League with 18 strikes in just 29 appearances.

Only Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (32) and Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane (23) have scored more goals in the English top flight than Toney this campaign. Chelsea’s top scorer in the competition is Kai Havertz with seven, followed by Raheem Sterling on four.

In addition, Chelsea are also targeting Brentford shot-stopper David Raya as they prepare to sign a new number one goalkeeper. Frank Lampard’s side currently have five goalkeepers in their ranks, including highly-rated youngsters Lucas Bergstrom and Gabriel Slonina, but they are keen to add depth and quality to that area of the pitch.

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Furthermore, Bees manager Thomas Frank is liked by the Chelsea board amid their search for the club’s next permanent manager. Frank Lampard is currently interim boss at Stamford Bridge after he was appointed following the sacking of Graham Potter in early April. Mauricio Pochettino and Julian Nagelsmann are both being heavily considered for the role too.

One player who is unlikely to become Chelsea’s striker for next season is Joao Felix. The Portuguese international is currently on loan at the club, but he will return to Atletico Madrid this summer, with Chelsea set to opt against signing him on a permanent transfer.

Chelsea set for summer fire-sale

The Blues are set for a huge summer of outgoings, with the club willing to listen to offers for almost every player except Ben Chilwell, who recently signed a new contract.

Mason Mount is wanted by Liverpool amid contract negotiations at Stamford Bridge, while Conor Gallagher has attracted interest from Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion.

Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Raheem Sterling are also likely to be moved on this summer.