The tug-of-war between Chelsea and SSC Napoli for the transfer of Victor Osimhen, 25, could finally be coming to an end.
“Chelsea, who are looking to strengthen their attacking line, have identified Osimhen as their top target,” transfer market expert Rudi Galletti wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Saturday (Nov. 23). “Osimhen is also keen to join Chelsea, so a personal agreement should not be a problem.”
Galletti added: “Chelsea are willing to meet Osimhen’s buyout (release clause). It’s just a matter of reaching an agreement with Napoli on the payment structure,” Galletti added, suggesting that talks on a transfer fee have also materialized.
According to British outlet Tribuna, Osimhen’s buyout clause is reportedly worth £113 million ($191.2 million).
Chelsea’s two- to three-year saga of signing Osimhen appears to be coming to an end. Last summer, Osimhen was also a hot topic in the transfer market, with the player being labeled as the next Drogba, but Chelsea opted for the more affordable Nicola Jackson.
Fast-forward to the 2023/24 Premier League (PL) season, 27 rounds into the campaign, and with Chelsea languishing in 11th place, the Osimhen rumors have resurfaced once again. Jackson, the ambitious signing, is struggling, and even Christopher Nkunku is struggling with injuries.
One problem is the PSR (PL Financial Regulations). Chelsea will reportedly have to sell some players in the summer transfer window to avoid breaching the PSR, the PL version of the Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. A PSR breach would likely result in a points 토토사이트 deduction, as Everton and Nottingham Forest have recently experienced, and would make it virtually impossible to sign Osimhen.
Best known as a former Napoli teammate of Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Osimhen is one of the most prolific strikers in the Italian Serie A. After stints with VfL Wolfsburg and Lille OSC, Osimhen switched to Napoli in 2020 and has since amassed a staggering 72 goals and 18 assists in 125 games over the past four years.
His performances helped Napoli win the Serie A title for the first time in 33 years in 2022/23, while Osimhen’s home country Nigeria reached the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations in February for the first time in 11 years since 2013.