Forget Osimhen! Chelsea's ideal striker plays in the Bundesliga

Tom Weber

• Updated: 5 Sept 2024 17:28 BST
• 9 min read

Chelsea's desperate search for a striker continues.

The Blues pursued a prolific No.9 all summer, initially being interested in Benjamin Sesko, then Samu Omorodion and finally Victor Osimhen. However, Deadline Day came and went and 18-year-old Marc Guiu was ultimately the only centre-forward who was signed.

Interest in Osimhen remains even if he has now seemingly taken a step down - with all due respect - and joined Galatasaray on loan after talks with PSG and Al-Ahli also came to nothing.

Osimhen has a break clause in his contract, meaning that he can return to Napoli in January and then sign for a different club. Chelsea will be there, though whether they will be willing to spend €75 million - his new, reduced release clause - in the winter remains to be seen.

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This summer, the deal to sign Osimhen ultimately collapsed due to the striker's wage demands. Chelsea have massively reduced their wage bill under the Todd Boehly regime and are now handing out incentive-based salaries.

Failure to convince Osimhen to agree to fit into this new financial structure doomed the transfer. In short, the Nigerian will be very, very expensive even if clubs are no longer required to trigger his original €130m release clause.

Chelsea's Osimhen alternative

Therefore, Chelsea must surely be thinking about alternatives. One potential option the Blues are already familiar with plays in the Bundesliga. Lois Openda has been a stunning success for RB Leipzig since joining in a record deal last year and Chelsea are keen.

According to BILD, the Blues were interested this summer, but the player was not yet keen on a move. However, next year it could be a different story.

RB Leipzig's business model sees them target a specific amount of money they aim to raise from sales every summer and the next one will be no different. Openda is one of the players who has been earmarked as a potential 'cash cow' by the Saxon club.

In other words, Leipzig will be open to selling - at the right price. Contrary to what was previously thought, the outlet reports that Openda will not yet have a release clause in 2025. Rather, an €80m clause will come into effect in 2026.

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Compared

Loïs Openda

F (C)

RB Leipzig

Loïs Openda

F (C)

RB Leipzig

VS

Victor Osimhen

F (C)

Galatasaray

Victor Osimhen

F (C)

Galatasaray

2023/2024

Season Statistics

2023/2024

45	Appearances	32
28	Goals	17
7	Assists	4

And this is the ballpark of fee Leipzig will be angling for next summer. It is stated that the Red Bulls will not entertain selling below €75m, so the Belgian will cost similar to Osimhen.

However, Openda is earning nowhere near as much as the 25-year-old on a weekly basis and, according to data analytics firm SciSports, he has more upside than Osimhen.

While the Napoli man's ability level has dropped off after a disappointing season, Openda's has enjoyed a gradual rise in recent years. In fact, the experts deem the Leipzig star a better player currently.

Openda is a year younger than Osimhen and still has significant potential, more so than the Galatasaray loanee. Given that he is already on Chelsea's radar, it would only make sense for them to target Openda again next year. He may be a cheaper - and better - option than Osimhen.