Chelsea misfit Romelu Lukaku is expected to reunite with Antonio Conte at Napoli this summer with talks underway with Victor Osimhen potentially heading the other way to the Premier League.
- Exclusive from Graeme Bailey
HITC understands that, while Napoli are yet to make an offer that comes close to matching Chelsea’s £30 million-plus asking price, the expectation is that Romelu Lukaku will be at Antonio Conte’s disposal once again before the September deadline passes by.
Despite an impressive loan spell at Roma last season – the Belgian scored 21 goals for Jose Mourinho and Daniele de Rossi – Chelsea have no appetite for offering Lukaku a third stab at life in South London.
Talks are underway with Napoli.
The 2023 Serie A champions are hot on the heels of Lukaku – their pursuit driven by the striker’s one-time Inter Milan boss Conte – with the future of Victor Osimhen also coming up during the discussions.
Chelsea and Napoli may trade Romelu Lukaku and Victor Osimhen
HITC have already reported that Osimhen was Chelsea’s number one centre-forward target going into the summer, ahead of Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez and co.
And while Chelsea continue to baulk at the fees involved – like Napoli with Lukaku – Enzo Maresca’s side are still very interested in pursuing a deal.
While Napoli’s early offers have been some way short of the fee demanded for Lukaku, Chelsea have baulked at the eye-watering £95 million release clause in Osimhen’s contract.
So too have French powerhouses Paris Saint-Germain.
The two-time European Champions remain in close contact with the Nigeria international’s representatives, however.
It remains to be seen whether there is a possibility of Lukaku being included as a makeweight in the deal that takes Osimhen in the other direction, from the Estadio Diego Armando Maradona to Stamford Bridge.
A straight swap appears unlikely. Especially after Roberto Calenda – Osimhen’s agent – appeared to play down the idea via his official X account on Tuesday.
Napoli want £95 million for Osimhen
“He’s got the arrogance,” Osimhen’s fellow Nigerian and one-time Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel says on his official podcast, talking up the prospect of the former Lille man following in his footsteps.
“He’s got the personality. You can feel someone (big) has walked into the dressing room.”
Mikel likens Osimhen to Didier Drogba, the legendary Chelsea striker whom only Diego Costa has truly come close to emulating. Comparisons have also been drawn with a Liverpool-era Fernando Torres.
“That (presence) is what Didier had,” Mikel says. “My advice (to Osimhen) is to come to Chelsea.”
Napoli are no strangers to selling star men.
President Aurelio de Laurentiis has remained strong in his stance on Osimhen, however, insisting that the near-£100 million release clause must be triggered.
“Victor is another good player that Napoli have,” De Laurentiis told Sky Sports in May. “We had (Edinson) Cavani, (Gonzalo) Higuain, (Ezequiel) Lavezzi and we had (Dries) Mertens. We had a lot of people who were fantastic.
“And there are others who are attracted by Real Madrid, by Paris Saint-Germain, by Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea. So you cannot stop them. Especially when they have a fixed amount of money where they can be bought.
“Osimhen is a very great player. He has a release clause. It’s a very big amount of money. Who knows who will leave. We will see.
“The money is the last problem for Napoli. We always made very good acquisitions as we did in the past. We will do (so) in the future.”
But while Lukaku and Osimhen could end up moving in different direction,
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