Chelsea are reportedly leading the race to sign Manchester United target Victor Osimhen in the upcoming summer transfer window.
According to talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook (via GIVEMESPORT), Chelsea are in the lead for the signing of Manchester United-linked Victor Osimhen and can meet the price tag set by Napoli thanks to the financial backing from co-owner Todd Boehly.
Crook said to GMS: “Vlahovic would be cheaper than the other two, but Chelsea are the favourites for Osimhen because of the price.
“I think Daniel Levy is still reluctant to sell Kane to a Premier League rival and Manchester United want to get their business done as early as possible because they don’t want to get drawn into a Frenkie de Jong-style pursuit where they don’t end up getting him.”
The Super Eagles star has been in superb form for the Serie A club this season. He has bagged 30 goals and five assists from 38 appearances in all competitions.
Osimhen has netted 25 Serie A goals this term, with his goal-scoring form a key contributor to the Naples giants winning the Scudetto for the first time in 33 years.
With just over two years remaining on his contract, though, Osimhen is being linked with a switch away from the Naples giants later this year. He has grabbed the attention of elite European rivals, including Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, and Bayern Munich.
The Red Devils, for one, are expected to land a marquee striker during the upcoming transfer window, and it has been widely reported that Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane and Napoli’s Osimhen are the top two targets.
And while Spurs have no plans of selling the England skipper to a Premier League rival, Osimhen appears to be the most difficult transfer to pull off as the Red Devils are reluctant to enter a bidding war for his signature.
Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis is a notorious negotiator and won’t provide any discount, with suitors warned they will have to fork out upwards of £100 million in order to prise Osimhen away from the newly-crowned Serie A champions.
On the other hand, Chelsea are ready to break the bank to sign the Napoli striker, who has been identified as the Blues’ number one target as they look to bolster their misfiring attack. The Blues boast a lot of wide players and attacking midfielders, but they lack a centre of attention.
While newly-appointed boss Mauricio Pochettino is ready to give loanee striker Romelu Lukaku a second chance at the club, the Belgian is angling towards a permanent move to the San Siro after rediscovering his shooting boots late in the current season. This could force Boehly and Co. to go all-out for a blockbuster striker signing in the summer market.
The Nigerian could prove to be a costly acquisition, but he could prove to be well worth the money if he can shore up the pointless Chelsea attack. While the west Londoners are ready to spend big, it will be interesting to see whether they can lure him to Stamford Bridge given this past season’s underperformance and lack of Champions League football on offer.
