Chelsea is the Premier League club to have been most linked to Napoli star Victor Osimhen.
There’s been endless claims that the Blues will be making a big money move for the attacker in the coming window, and they’ve long been thought to be leading the chase.
That’s despite the financial restraints likely to be in place at Stamford Bridge for the medium term. Given the spend made recently, they’d need to see multiple players go to be able to finance another big summer and keep within the economic rules for the Premier League.
Monday’s edition of Il Mattino, via Napoli Magazine, reports Chelsea and PSG are both showing ‘strong interest’ in striking a deal for Osimhen.
It’s even claimed there’s set to be a summit in the ‘next few days’ to see whether either club is ‘willing to pay’ the €130m or wants to negotiate.
That meeting will be held at Filmauro, which is an Italian film company owned by the De Laurentiis family.
Aurelio De Laurentiis is Napoli chairman and he has a record of asking big fees for his players. However, in recent years he’s been burnt by his own demands, pricing players out of the market only to see their value drop and then have to sell for much less than previously desired.
Chelsea, and perhaps PSG, are unlikely to want to pay that €130m, so De Laurentiis will have a decision to make.
An injury or a loss of form could see Osimhen’s value drop if he stays beyond this summer. On top of that, his contract expires in 2026 so the pressure would begin in that regard.
The 24-year-old has scored 14 goals and added four assists in 26 matches for Napoli this season. His games have been limited due to a hamstring injury and having to travel for the Africa Cup of Nations.
