For months, the Italian media have suggested Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are set for a battle for Napoli star Victor Osimhen.
On April 25th, Il Mattino reported the west London club are in the lead to sign the striker in the summer window.
This is backed up by today’s edition of Gazzetta dello Sport, which also states Chelsea and PSG have been working on this operation for some time.
The Nigeria international has a clause between €120m and €130m, but the interested parties are working on a different strategy to acquire his signature, perhaps by deferring the payment or including a player as part of the deal to lower the price.
It’s explained that Chelsea have taken the latter option and they could be the 25-year-old’s ‘favourite destination’ for various reasons.
The former Lille man dreams of moving to the Premier League and grew up admiring Blues legend Didier Drogba.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side won’t play in the Champions League next season and this could give PSG an advantage. Gazzetta state Chelsea ‘want to try to entice’ both the player and Napoli, to acquire his signature.
It’s claimed the Premier League side will offer Osimhen a deal worth €10m net per year, and offer €80m plus Romelu Lukaku [currently on loan at AS Roma] to the Serie A side.
That can allow Napoli to replace Osimhen, but the report doesn’t make it clear whether they are in favour of this formula.
