Chelsea line up Osimhen in deal of the century

Suraj Radia

• Updated: 28 Sept 2024 13:18 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea have reportedly ‘begun work’ to sign Victor Osimhen in a deal that could end up proving to be a blockbuster win for the Enzo Maresca's side.

Osimhen has been a long-term transfer target for Chelsea and it was expected that the Blues would push hard for him during the summer after he revealed his desire to move to the Premier League on numerous occasions.

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However, Napoli’s initial asking price of around €100 million proved restrictive, while the player’s wage demands are thought to have prevented a deal being struck in the final hours of the transfer window.

Osimhen failed to secure a permanent exit from Napoli and went on to join Galatasaray on loan, where he has failed to find the back of the net in his first three appearances.

The loan is understood to have a break clause in January and Football Insider have claimed that Chelsea have already begun work to sign Osimhen for £40 million (€48m).

Napoli are thought to be ‘desperate’ to receive a good fee for Osimhen, with his contract set to expire in 2026, prompting the Italian side to drop their asking price and convincing Chelsea to make their alleged move.

Chelsea could get reward for Osimhen patience

Chelsea moving for Osimhen would be intriguing given Nicolas Jackson’s start to the season, which has seen the 23-year-old grab four goals and two assists in the opening five Premier League games.

Such a drastic decrease in valuation from Napoli, way below Osimhen’s Expected Transfer Value (ETV), would also raise eyebrows given the Italian side’s initial asking price, particularly considering club president Aurelio De Laurentiis has historically been a tough negotiator.

However, Chelsea have had similar success with Napoli before when they signed defender Kalidou Koulibaly for €42m in 2022, having been quoted more than double that figure by De Laurentiis previously.

A transfer at the rumoured price for Osimhen could prove the deal of the century for Chelsea even with Jackson’s improvement, particularly if the Nigerian recaptures the form that saw him lead Napoli to the Serie A title in 2023.

Osimhen has evidently discovered the market is not as strong for him as he previously anticipated and a deal on significantly lower wages could give Chelsea their reward for their patience.