Chelsea could reportedly sign Napoli hitman Victor Osimhen for a cut-price fee in the 2024 summer transfer window after recent tensions with his parent club.
According to Football Insider, Chelsea could land the services of Nigerian marksman Victor Osimhen from Napoli for a cut-price fee next summer as Mauricio Pochettino looks to improve his misfiring forward line.
Off the back of firing 26 league goals for Napoli last season as he helped the Italian side lift the Serie A title after 33 long years, Osimhen was arguably the most coveted striker in the transfer market this past summer, but the Naples-based outfit held firm and kept their star centre-forward.
However, interest in the Nigerian international from other clubs is not going to fade away ahead of the new year. Recent reports have suggested the Blues have decided to make Osimhen their top target for the summer of 2024. Meanwhile, they are said to have taken the lead in the race to sign him and have ramped up their pursuit following the recent developments.
The talented forward has netted five goals in seven Serie A games this season, but a bizarre video that saw Napoli mock their own player appeared on their TikTok account following his penalty miss against Bologna earlier this week.
More doubts about his long-term future in Naples were raised when his agent publicly threatened legal action against the Italian club, who have since released a statement to insist that they did not intend to “offend or mock Osimhen” and described him as a “club treasure.”
The 24-year-old scored off the bench for Napoli in their Serie A victory over Lecce on Saturday and has spoken out to “restore unity” as he is “forever grateful” to Napoli supporters.
By the time next summer comes around, there will only be one year remaining on his contract with Napoli. And unless they are able to find a way to extend it, they might have little choice but to settle for a lower price when selling their prized asset in 2024, having previously set their asking price at around £170 million.
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is in the midst of trying to get a tune out of his Chelsea squad, which has been lavishly assembled across several different managerial regimes, all sanctioned by Todd Boehly.
After a nightmare start in the Premier League that has seen them win just one out of their first six Premier League games, the Blues are now set to hand manager Pochettino a more hands-on role in recruitment at Stamford Bridge, with finding a new striker thought to be among Chelsea’s top priorities.
Osimhen is viewed as a player capable of resolving their problems and could be the missing piece they have been trying to find, but they are likely to face some major issues selling their project to the player and will need to make significant progress in Pochettino’s first season in charge to right some wrongs from last season.