Chelsea make shock Osimhen decision amid Adeyemi pursuit

Cameron Smith

15 Jul 2024 11:30 CDT
3 min read

Chelsea are reportedly set to kickstart their pursuit of Victor Osimhen by opening fresh talks to sign the Napoli forward.

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Osimhen, 25, has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge for over a year, but the Blues had seemingly moved on amid his eye-watering €130 million release clause.

However, CaughtOffside have reported that Chelsea are now preparing to hold new talks over a possible move for the Nigerian international.

Romelu Lukaku and Cesare Casadei are likely to be offered to Napoli in a player-plus-cash swap deal, with Chelsea hoping to reach an agreement as they search for a new number nine this summer.

The Blues also hold “concrete” interest in Borussia Dortmund forward Karim Adeyemi, as per CaughtOffside, while Jhon Duran, Samu Omorodion and Ollie Watkins have all been linked with a Chelsea move in recent weeks.

Osimhen scored 15 goals in 25 Serie A appearances last season, and despite only having two years left on his current contract, Napoli aren’t prepared to let him leave for less than €130m.

Which club will Victor Osimhen join?

Although Chelsea are reportedly hoping to sign Osimhen, it remains to be seen if the Blues will be able to afford his release clause.

Paris Saint-Germain also remains an option for Osimhen, following Kylian Mbappe’s free transfer move to Real Madrid, and Luis Enrique’s side have reportedly submitted a €200m combined offer for Osimhen and his Napoli team-mate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

© IMAGO - Victor Osimhen is likely to leave Napoli this summer

However, that bid is set to be rejected by the Italian giants as they look to keep hold of Kvaratskhelia.

As a result, the Saudi Pro League has emerged as Osimhen’s most likely summer destination.

Arsenal had previously been linked with a move for Osimhen too, however the Gunners are no longer pushing to sign him and are instead focusing their attention on finalising a deal for Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori.