Chelsea have now made Napoli star Victor Osimhen their top striker target for the summer transfer window. But it will take another new British record fee to beat interest at Arsenal.
That is according to 90min, which reports Napoli have not put Chelsea off eying Osimhen by demanding €150m (£133m). The Stamford Bridge natives only just set the latest British record fee when buying Enzo Fernandez. He left Benfica for the Premier League for £107m.
Yet despite the excessive fees spent in west London since Todd Boehly bought the team, a new striker remains coveted. Chelsea do not believe Kai Havertz is the answer and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang does not have a place in Graham Potter’s Champions League squad.
So, Chelsea are desperate to now win the race for Osimhen’s transfer from Napoli during the summer sales. The 24-year-old has scored 16 and assisted four goals in just 17 Serie A games so far this season. He has also only failed to find the net in five of his appearances.
Stamford Bridge scouts have watched Osimhen since October and his efforts have put the Nigerian atop their transfer wish list. Yet as the 23-cap international is under contract until 2025, Napoli believe they can demand a massive fee. Yet the price does not scare Chelsea.
Chelsea must rival Arsenal to secure the transfer of Napoli star Victor Osimhen
Yet while Chelsea are not afraid to spend €150m (£133m) on Osimhen, they hope Napoli accept players in part exchange. Boehly and the Blues board have further plans they will need funds for. So, the west Londoners are considering Romelu Lukaku as a makeweight.
Stamford Bridge chiefs have other potential counterparts to include in a deal if Napoli do not want Lukaku, who Chelsea only re-signed from Inter Milan for £97.5m in 2021. While Napoli can point to interest elsewhere, like Arsenal, to increase Osimhen’s transfer value.
Reports by TuttoMercatoWEB in December noted Arsenal, Newcastle United and Bayern Munich are interested in Osimhen’s summer transfer from Napoli. The Lagos-born striker has fired the Azzurri to a 13-point lead atop the Serie A table as the division’s top scorer.
Osimhen is not a flash in the pan to earn interest from Arsenal and Chelsea in his transfer from Napoli, either. He hit 14 and assisted five goals in 27 Serie A appearances last season.
He also left former Watford coach Walter Mazzarri in absolute awe when the striker faced his old Cagliari team in 2021. The out-of-work Italian declared, via quotes by Football Italia: “Osimhen is phenomenal because he runs alone at five players and gets through.
“If you look at genuine scoring opportunities compared to the number Napoli created lately, I didn’t see that many. We intentionally kept a deep defensive line because if we pushed higher like the other teams, we’d concede four or five.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
