Chelsea and Victor Osimhen, a striker for Napoli, have been linked extensively.
Victor Osimhen is expected to leave Napoli this summer. (Image: Getty)
Chelsea wants to sign Victor Osimhen this summer, but they will avoid having to have some awkward talks with former manager Antonio Conte. The Napoli forward, who has scored 48 goals for the Serie A team over the last two seasons, has been strongly linked to the London club as well as a number of other European powerhouses.
In the 2022–2023 season, he solidified his place in the club’s annals with 26 goals in the league, propelling his team to its first domestic championship in thirty-three years.
He signed a new contract with the team in December amid speculation about his future, but it appeared to be an attempt to protect Napoli from losing him on a cheap deal by adding a £115 million release clause.
However, HITC claims that Chelsea has now decided against moving forward due to that price tag. According to reports, the Premier League team has told Napoli that they are unwilling to activate the clause because their owner, Aurelio De Laurentiis, will not sell for a lower price.
This news coincides with the confirmation that Antonio Conte will take over at the Italian team in the same week. Between 2016 and 2018, the 54-year-old managed two seasons at Stamford Bridge. He won the Premier League in his first season in charge and left under controversial circumstances even though he had won the FA Cup in his second season.
Chelsea is actively looking for a new striker as they prepare to announce Leicester manager Enzo Maresca as their replacement for Mauricio Pochettino. After joining from Villarreal, Nicolas Jackson has struggled, and Romelu Lukkau is expected to depart the team permanently this summer.
Antonio Conte has taken over at Napoli. (Image: Getty)
However, in light of owner Todd Boehly’s extravagant spending, the London club is also cautious about the Financial Fair Play rules. Additionally, they must sell players before investing more than three figures in a single transfer.
PSG is now the front-runner to sign Osimhen, a striker from Nigeria. With Kylian Mbappe confirming that he has played his final game for the team and the striker expected to join Real Madrid this month, the Parisian giants are in the midst of a rebuild.
The Ligue 1 winners, meanwhile, are reportedly turned off by the cost as well. Considering that the deal’s finances would not be a problem, Saudi Pro League executives have also been linked. However, at 25, Osimhen is unlikely to want to relocate to the Middle East during the height of his career.
After he had a falling out with his club in September over a social media post, there was a lot of speculation about his future. He was made fun of by the official Napoli accounts after missing a penalty, and the team was later forced to issue an apology.
“Expressive language is used in a lighthearted and playful way on social media, especially TikTok. There was never any intention of ridicule or mockery in the Victor case, the released statement read. “If Victor was in any way offended, this was not at all in the club’s intentions.”
