Chelsea have reportedly lodged an offer to sign Napoli’s striking powerhouse Victor Osimhen, who has made it clear he will not be signing a contract renewal with the Serie A outfit.
According to CalcioNapoli24, Victor Osimhen has received offers from Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain and has no intention to sign a renewal with Napoli. The report adds that Osimhen’s agent, Roberto Calenda, has scheduled a meeting with Napoli president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, to assess the situation ahead of the player’s potential summer move.
The 24-year-old is one of the hottest strikers in Europe, having fired Napoli to their first Serie A title since 1990. The Nigerian forward has been deadly in front of goal this season, scoring 28 goals in all competitions. He also grabbed five assists, but it is his goalscoring that is sparking huge interest from the big clubs.
Despite winning the Serie A title, things seem to be falling apart at Napoli. The Partenopei are on the search for a new manager after Luciano Spalletti decided to walk away and take a sabbatical year from football. Furthermore, they could be set to lose their director of football, Cristiano Giuntoli, who has reportedly agreed to join rival Juventus.
It now appears De Laurentiis will also have to handle the case of Osimhen. The Nigerian striker has two years remaining on his contract. So Napoli can demand his full value, with the Partenopei understood to be looking for close to €150 million for him this summer. The reigning Serie A champions are also not keen on seeing their star striker’s stock fall next summer when he’ll be in the final year of his deal.
Chelsea are in dire need of a new No. 9, and the Blues are expected to go all out for a new centre forward this summer, following last season’s underwhelming display in front of goal. As such, the Blues have already agreed to pay £50 million to sign Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig. However, they are eyeing another striker to complement the Frenchman.
The various names being linked with the West London club include Lautaro Martinez, Dusan Vlahovic, and more recently Villarreal’s Nicolas Jackson. However, Osimhen remains the new boss Mauricio Pochettino’s preferred target, with the Blues said to be the front-runners in the race to land his signature.
A major obstacle for Chelsea this summer is their lack of Champions League football next season. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see if the West London giants land the Napoli hitman this summer.
