Victor Osimhen could be on his way to Chelsea from Napoli thanks to Antonio Conte’s fixation on working with Romelu Lukaku.
The new Napoli manager has worked with the Belgian in previous clubs and is determined to work with him once again as he looks to return Napoli to the top of the Italian Serie A in the 2024/25 season. However, Lukaku’s price tag is a stumbling block for Aurelio De Laurentiis, who is thinking twice about spending huge sums on transfers after what he faced with Victor Osimhen.
Granted, the Nigerian striker’s transfer came good as the former VfL Wolfsburg man helped Napoli win their first Scudetto in 33 years as the league’s top scorer and best player (though his teammate Kvicha Kvaratskhelia was given the award by Serie A). However, the trophy came at a cost which included many injuries and a scandal of epic proportions which led to the 25-year-old striker cutting ties with the club temporarily on social media.
De Laurentiis and his board at Napoli also had to deal with the striker’s agent’s shenanigans not too long ago when the topic of his contract renewal was on the table. Now, it looks like the player is stuck at the club thanks to his humongous price tag and issues that are yet to be clearly defined.
Osimhen’s time is done at the club and a transfer is on the cards. However, there were no suitors until Conte came with his demands to bring Lukaku to the club.
The Belgian, like Osimhen, is not on the best of terms with his parent club, Chelsea. This means that the Blues are also looking for a way to cut him loose and like Osimhen, his price tag is in the way. The Blues’ thirst for Osimhen is well documented and now, reports indicate that both teams are in talks over a swap deal.
The deal will involve a permanent transfer for Lukaku while Osimhen would go to Chelsea on a season-long loan with an option to buy the following year. However, if Chelsea goes ahead to speak to Osimhen’s people, De Laurentiis will call off any deal. This is according to an update from respected journalist Simon Phillips via his Substack newsletter on Tuesday morning.
The reason for the billionaire club owner’s instructions is unclear, but it could be because Arsenal is still interested in the deal.
The Gunners have been holding talks with Napoli for some time now over the striker’s transfer and despite the news from Chelsea making the waves, continue to push on with their intentions. Their plan is to close a deal for one of Osimhen or Viktor Gyökeres in the coming weeks.
Many see Chelsea’s offer to take Osimhen on loan as a disrespectful act towards a player of the Nigerian’s calibre, but many also believe his antics of late have also caused his stocks to drop. Regardless, he remains a top talent that De Laurentiis is right to demand so much for.
