Osimhen to Chelsea faces breakdown! Blues face €50m problem as Toney talk heats up

Robin Bairner

• 11 Apr 2024 14:20 BST
• 4 min read

Chelsea have received a transfer update over Napoli striker Victor Osimhen that puts the Blues’ pursuit of the Nigeria international forward into doubt.

Osimhen is set to leave the Serie A club this summer, despite signing a new contract in December. The centre-forward put a release clause in his new Napoli deal, effectively allowing him to escape to any club that meets the figure. This is believed to be €120 million.

READ MORE: No Gyokeres, no Osimhen? Chelsea set for transfer OBLIVION as crisis mounts

Chelsea have long been favourites to complete a deal, with the Blues sending an array of agents to unofficially talk Osimhen into moving to Stamford Bridge.

Mauricio Pochettino’s club are ready to offload a whole array of stars to make it possible to raise the funds required to sign the striker yet this might not be enough as a renewed threat.

READ MORE: All change at Chelsea! Boehly in €200m fire sale to fund Osimhen transfer

PSG use Mbappe savings on Osimhen

Il Mattino reports that PSG have offered Osimhen a lavish contract that could see him move back to Ligue 1, where he played successfully for a single season with Lille before moving to Napoli.

The Neapolitan source indicates that Les Parisiens have offered the hitman a deal worth a total of €52 million over the course of four years.

With Kylian Mbappe leaving PSG to join Real Madrid on a free transfer in the summer, PSG have ample room on their wage bill to fund Osimhen’s contract.

STATS

Victor Osimhen

F (CRL)

SSC Napoli

Victor Osimhen

F (CRL)

SSC Napoli

All Tournaments

2023/24

• 26

  Games

• 13

  Goals

• 4

  Assists

View all stats

Chelsea, meanwhile, may have been paying big transfer fees but their contracts under Todd Boehly have been relatively modest. Instead of offering big-money deals, they have provided long-term security. It will be a challenge to fit Osimhen into their wage structure, especially with no European football to compensate.

With the possibility that Chelsea will miss out on Osimhen increasing, there have been reports that the Blues are studying the possibility of renewing their interest in Brentford striker Ivan Toney.

The Bees have dropped their asking price for the England striker dramatically, while he will command a smaller wage than Osimhen. This is likely to be welcomed by the Blues with the threat of money being tight this summer.