Victor Osimhen: Napoli tell Chelsea their January transfer stance

Carlo Garganese

• 1 Nov 2023 13:47 GMT
• 4 min read

Victor Osimhen won’t be joining Chelsea in January, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Chelsea have made the signing of a top-class striker their number one priority in the transfer market in 2024.

Osimhen is the ideal signing for the Blues, but Romano says that doing a deal with Napoli in January is almost impossible.

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“The focus of Victor Osimhen is on his future, because at the moment there is no agreement with Napoli over a new deal, it is all very quiet,” Roman wrote on CaughtOffside.

“Still, from what I’m told the position of Napoli in the January transfer window remains the same - they don’t want to sell Osimhen in January, not even a crazy bid would change their minds, that’s their current position.

“Still, we know crazy things can happen - remember that one year ago Benfica didn’t want to sell Enzo Fernandez but then Chelsea decided to trigger the release clause of the player at the last minute after a long negotiation and they were able to sign the player.

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“In Napoli’s case, they really want to fight to keep Osimhen until the end of the season, so it’s going to be more than difficult to make the deal happen in January.”

Osimhen will be much more attainable next summer than he was this past summer, when Napoli made it clear they would not listen to any offers less than €150 million for their star man. This scared off all parties, including Chelsea.

However, Osimhen’s price tag will be much lower next year if he does not sign a new contract as his current deal expires in 2025 and talks to extend have not been going well.

The recent TikTok scandal in which Napoli’s own social media team mocked his penalty miss with Bologna infuriated Osimhen and has further raised doubts about his future.

Osimhen started this season well, scoring six goals in eight Serie A games, until he suffered an injury on international duty a fortnight ago.

Osimhen in 2022-23 for Napoli

Osimhen enjoyed a stunning 2022-23 season, scoring a brilliant 31 goals in 39 appearances in all competitions.

With 26 Serie A goals, he finished the top scorer in the Italian top-flight as Napoli won their first Scudetto in 33 years.

He also struck five times in the Champions League as Napoli reached the quarter-finals before being beaten 2-1 on aggregate by AC Milan.

Osimhen’s absence due to injury in the first leg has been cited as a key reason why Napoli lost the tie.