Victor Osimhen to Chelsea? Romano reveals the state of play

Robin Bairner

31 Jul 2024 07:30 CDT
4 min read

Fabrizio Romano, Victor Osimhen, Chelsea — © IMAGO

Fabrizio Romano has detailed exactly how likely Victor Osimhen is to move to Chelsea on a loan deal.

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Transfer rumours surrounding the Nigeria ace have been reignited in recent days, with Arsenal associated with a possible move for the forward and the Blues tipped to make a swap offer involving Romelu Lukaku.

Romano, though, has cast doubts over the possibility of this deal coming to fruition, despite La Repubblica stating that Chelsea have overtaken PSG in this particular race.

Current ETV

Victor Osimhen

F (C)

Napoli

Victor Osimhen

F (C)

Napoli

ETV Range

€53.3M - €88.9M

“Napoli and Osimhen agree to part ways this summer, this is the intention. With the deal with PSG in standby – not between PSG and Osimhen because the player has already said yes to PSG 20 days ago, he’s keen on the move – but between the Ligue 1 side and Napoli, everything is completely in standby and not advancing,” Romano said on his YouTube channel.

“Napoli could be open to adding Osimhen to the negotiations with Chelsea for Romelu Lukaku. Napoli and Chelsea discussed the possibility.

“This is what has happened in recent days. I can confirm Osimhen wants to leave, Napoli want to find a solution for him and that Napoli want to sign Lukaku.

“Napoli and Chelsea have also been talking in the last 24-48 hours.

“The agent of Victor Osimhen released a statement on social media. In that, he said Victor Osimhen is not considering a move on loan. He didn’t deny the interest from Chelsea, but he rejected the possibility of a loan move.”

Osimhen wants future guaranteed

Romano explained why the 25-year-old will not make a loan switch without a guaranteed purchase at its conclusion.

“On Osimhen’s side, they are against a loan move with an option to buy. In this case, a loan with a buy option is something that the agent and the player don’t want to consider today,” he said.

“Osimhen has the intention to leave Napoli not with the possibility to return there in a year. Secondly, the salary. It’s a crucial part of the story. To go to Chelsea on loan from Napoli, he would have to reduce his salary. Napoli will never loan the player and cover his wages. It would be crazy.

“Osimhen is on a big salary at Napoli – around €11m net per season – so he doesn’t want to cut that. With a loan, you’re probably forced to do that.

“Napoli and Chelsea are still in touch over Romelu Lukaku. To involve Osimhen, they say on the player’s side they need a different form of deal – a permanent transfer. But it’s still early stages of the discussion. It’s going to take time.”