Napoli have reportedly given a timeline for when they want Victor Osimhen’s future to be sorted amid talks with Chelsea.
HITC had reported that Chelsea were in talks with Napoli for Victor Osimhen with the Nigerian striker potentially being one of the biggest deals in the Premier League.
The Nigerian moving to Stamford Bridge could potentially see Romelu Lukaku, who moved to Chelsea for £95 million from Inter Milan, move to Naples.
HITC had reported that Lukaku was keen on a move to Napoli with the possibility of the Belgian reuniting with Antonio Conte said to appeal to the striker.
Napoli set out Victor Osimhen deadline for Chelsea
The Nigerian forward, since his superb goalscoring season during the Scudetto-winning 2022/23 campaign, has been linked with a move away from the club for a long time.
We had previously reported that Osimhen was ‘anxious’ about his Napoli exit as the Nigerian forward was concerned that he would not be able to get his move away from the Italian club.
Chelsea had earmarked Osimhen as their number one target and there is hope from those at the club that a deal will end up being struck.
Italian journalist Giovanni Scotto, speaking to CalcioNapoli, has explained when Napoli want a deal done for the forward.
“As of today, there are no openings for Osimhen to remain at Napoli. The will to separate is mutual and remains the same, nor obviously has Conte asked to change the agreements.
“There are no clauses or tacit agreements for a confirmation, much less a hypothesis with a lowered salary.
“Conte will also wait patiently for the operation to go through, with Lukaku waiting without looking around. The goal is to resolve the issue by the first match of the championship. In any case, the Nigerian will not be used, not even in the Coppa Italia.
“Clearly, anything can happen but for now Osimhen remains on the way out: his preferences include PSG and Chelsea, Saudi Arabia is currently only a hypothetical scenario. In any case, it will be the striker who chooses his next team.”
Chelsea could pull off signing of the summer in Osimhen
A new striker has been key for Chelsea this summer but the Blues have already completed the signing of one striker.
Chelsea signed Barcelona’s Marc Guiu earlier this summer but the plan from those at the club was to add another forward.
Osimhen would represent a significant upgrade for Chelsea and he could well be good enough to challenge Erling Haaland’s goalscoring abilities in the Premier League.
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