Victor Osimhen to Chelsea: David Ornstein confirms swap deal negotiations

Tom Weber

• Updated: 30 Jul 2024 23:23 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea are in talks with Napoli over a swap deal of Victor Osimhen and Romelu Lukaku, according to David Ornstein.

The news many Blues fans have been waiting for has been confirmed. David Ornstein of The Athletic is reporting that Chelsea are in talks with Napoli over the potential arrival of sharpshooter Osimhen.

The Premier League giants, linked with the Nigerian for months, cooled their interest earlier this summer due to concerns over his cost, with Osimhen boasting a release clause in the region of €120 million to €130m, while also earning massive wages in Naples.

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This allowed PSG to try their luck, but the French champions eventually baulked at Napoli's demands. FootballTransfers exclusively revealed on Monday that talks between the two clubs were not only on hold but actually dead in the water.

Also on Monday, Fabrizio Romano reported that Napoli would be open to negotiating a swap deal with Chelsea for their top target Romelu Lukaku.

Ornstein confirms swap talks

Now, David Ornstein has confirmed that talks are indeed taking place between the two clubs to trade strikers, though he did not reveal whether it would officially be a swap deal or formally separate transactions.

Either way, Chelsea are legitimately in talks with Napoli over the arrival of Osimhen. Intriguingly, however, the Blues would not initially sign the 25-year-old permanently.

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Instead, Ornstein reports that Osimhen would first arrive at Stamford Bridge as part of a loan, with Chelsea having an option to make the deal permanent next summer.

This, however, seems a bit of a strange deal from Napoli's point of view given that they are desperate to sell Osimhen. Perhaps the structure of the deal could yet change with talks evidently still at an early stage.

The transfer ultimately hinges on Napoli striking an agreement with Chelsea to sign Romelu Lukaku permanently. The Blues are reportedly demanding €40m for the Belgian.