Chelsea’s Osimhen alternative revealed as PSG target Napoli forward

Robin Bairner

6 Apr 2024 09:20 BST
3 min read

Chelsea are not putting all their eggs in the basket of Napoli striker Victor Osimhen as they hunt a No.9 in the summer transfer window.

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The Blues face a renewed threat over the Nigeria international from PSG, with reports from Italy suggesting that the Ligue 1 side are threatening to upset the Stamford Bridge club.

It had appeared that Osimhen would head to Chelsea in the summer. Extensive groundwork has been done over a deal, but Corriere dello Sport states that PSG are getting ready to trigger the striker’s release clause of around €125 million. This comes in response to the likelihood that Kylian Mbappe will leave at the end of his contract in June.

And Fabrizio Romano says that the Blues are not taking this threat lightly.

“Nothing is close to being completed,” Romano writes in the Daily Briefing.

“The expectation around Napoli is still for Osimhen to leave in the summer, he's not staying and they are already looking for alternatives.

“Let me repeat once again that Chelsea have not changed their position on Victor Osimhen but they will wait to understand their Financial Fair Play situation so they know how much they can really spend on the striker.

“The deal doesn’t just depend on the player’s salary, but also a signing-on fee, commissions, a really expensive release clause of between €120m/€130m… there are a lot of things to clarify.

“Chelsea want to make sure that they will have the budget clear before negotiating.”

© IMAGO - Victor Osimhen's future is uncertain

Dovbyk to Chelsea?

According to Give Me Sport, Girona’s Artem Dovbyk is one of the players who is being followed by the Blues as a possible alternative to Osimhen.

The Ukraine striker has scored 16 times in 28 LaLiga matches this season, laying on five assists in the process. By comparison, Nicolas Jackson scored 12 for Villarreal in 26 LaLiga outings last term.

Dovbyk has, however, been on something of a cold streak lately, scoring in just two of his 11 league fixtures in 2024.

Sporting CP's Viktor Gyokeres, Inter's Lautaro Martinez and Brentford's Ivan Toney are other players currently being considered by Chelsea should Osimhen head to PSG.