EXCLUSIVE: Chelsea prepared to pay whatever it takes for Osimhen
Steve Kay
- 8 Dec 2023 16:00 GMT
- 3 min read
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is prepared to pay whatever it takes to sign striker Victor Osimhen from Napoli, FootballTransfers has been informed.
Chelsea are known to be in the market for a No.9 during the January transfer window, with summer arrival Nicolas Jackson not providing the instant solution to the club’s finishing problem that they might have wished.
Instead, they are looking to Nigeria international Osimhen as the player who can fire Mauricio Pochettino’s side back up the Premier League table after a slow start to the season.
FootballTransfers understands that Chelsea are hell-bent on signing Osimhen and are even prepared to break their transfer record to sign the striker, despite some uncertainty over how they might afford the deal around Financial Fair Play (FFP) restrictions. Enzo Fernandez, bought from Benfica for €121 million in January 2023, is currently the club’s most expensive signing.
With Arsenal also interested in the striker, a huge bid is likely to be required to get the deal done.
Napoli bullish over Osimhen's future
Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis, meanwhile, has been bullish this week over the prospect of Osimhen signing a new deal with the Serie A champions, despite the player having had a difficult six-month spell with the club since firing them to the Scudetto last season.
The 24-year-old has been embroiled in a TikTok scandal, in which he accused the club’s official account of racial abusing him. He also had a difficult relationship with previous head coach Rudi Garcia, who has since been fired by the club.
For Napoli, meanwhile, the clock with Osimhen is ticking. He is out of contract in 2025 and if no new contract is signed before the summer, they may be forced to sell him.
De Laurentiis has previously been bullish over the price he might fetch for the former Lille striker, yet his bargaining position grows increasingly weak as the player’s contract comes to an end.
Although the president has indicated that a new agreement is close, this was previously the case in the summer and yet there was no movement.
Chelsea, who could potentially sell Armando Broja to help fund a transfer for Osimhen, are following the case carefully and are ready to do everything to land the superstar in what would be another blockbuster transfer under Boehly.
