Chelsea Close To Agreeing Deal For Osimhen

Chelsea are reportedly close to agreeing a deal for Nigeria striker, Victor Osimhen, which would involve two players heading to Napoli in exchange.

The London club have been searching for a new striker all summer and have stepped up their efforts to sign Osimhen after a move for Atletico Madrid’s Samu Omorodion collapsed at the eleventh hour.

The reigning CAF Player of the Year Osimhen has asked to leave Napoli, who are eager to sign Romelu Lukaku as his replacement.

Chelsea are trying to use Lukaku as a bargaining chip to reduce Osimhen’s price tag, thought to be around £100million.

However, Lukaku is not the only player Chelsea have proposed to Napoli, with midfielder Cesare Casadei reportedly now involved in the talks.

According to The Sun (via Mirror) Chelsea could end up spending just £39m on Osimhen, with Lukaku and Casadei moving in the opposite direction as part of the deal.

Napoli new head coach Antonio Conte is looking forward to reuniting with Lukaku, who he previously managed at Inter Milan.

Lukaku has reportedly agreed personal terms with Napoli, accepting a significant pay cut, but the same cannot be said for Osimhen and Chelsea. Osimhen reportedly signed a huge £210,000-a-week contract in December last year and is hesitant to take a salary reduction.

Meanwhile, Chelsea have a strict wage structure to consider, with only three of their current players (Lukaku, Reece James and Raheem Sterling ) earning over the £200,000-a-week threshold. These contracts were all agreed before the club’s wage structure was altered in late 2022.