Napoli striker Victor Osimhen would ‘happily’ join Chelsea this summer and is ready for the move, Blues insider Simon Phillips reports.
The 25-year-old Nigeria international has been linked with a move away for the past 12 months and Chelsea remain interested, but the Blues are reportedly yet to decide on ‘which striker to go for’.
Osimhen is seeking to leave Napoli after the club suffered a slump in form this season and finished 10th in Serie A, despite winning the league title just 12 months ago.
With no European football for next season, Osimhen might finally be tempted to leave Italy after four years at the club.
The Nigerian striker, who joined for a club-record fee from Lille in 2020, scored 15 goals and added three assists in 25 league games for Napoli this season.
Osimhen Would ‘Happily’ Join Chelsea
The Blues must decide whether they can afford the striker
Chelsea insider Phillips, writing in his Substack, suggests the Blues have not yet advanced in talks to sign Osimhen, who is also being linked with a move to Arsenal.
Both London clubs are in the market for a starting centre-forward this year and could compete for Osimhen’s signature.
However, according to Phillips, Chelsea are yet to decide on their transfer target in the upcoming window:
“It’s all quiet at the moment and the ball remains in Chelsea’s court. An Italian source I’ve spoken to is adamant that Osimhen would happily join Chelsea and would be up for the move.
“But nothing has advanced as of yet and Chelsea have still been deciding on which striker to go for and whether they can afford to pay up for Osimhen. A deal would need to be done that fully favours Chelsea for this to happen.”
Earlier this year, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis confirmed that Osimhen – who former Sassuolo coach Alessio Dionisi labelled “unstoppable” last season – would leave the club in the summer, saying that ‘he will go to Real Madrid, PSG or some Premier League team’.
The 25-year-old signed a new contract with the Italian side last December but has a release clause included, worth around £113million.
| Victor Osimhen Stats (2023-24) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Competition | Games | Goals | Assists |
| Serie A | 25 | 15 | 3 |
| Champions League | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| Italy Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 |
After splashing out more than £1billion on new players under part-owner Todd Boehly’s management, Chelsea are likely to reduce spending this summer and could seek to negotiate with Napoli for Osimhen’s signature.
Chelsea Near Deal for Enzo Maresca
He will follow in the footsteps of many other Italian managers
After mutually parting ways with Mauricio Pochettino last week, Chelsea now seem set to appoint their new manager imminently.
The Blues are closing in on hiring Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca, who is set to leave after leading the Foxes to the Premier League in his first season.
Maresca could become the sixth Italian to manage Chelsea, after Antonio Conte, Roberto Di Matteo, Carlo Ancelotti, Claudio Ranieri, and Gianluca Vialli.
