Napoli willing to make Victor Osimhen-Romelu Lukaku swap
According to a report from The Guardian, Napoli are willing to consider from Chelsea a part swap deal including Romelu Lukaku for their star striker Victor Osimhen.
The Nigeria international has been tipped to leave Naples all summer, with new coach Antonio Conte heavily linked with a reunion with Lukaku, with whom he won the Serie A at Inter Milan three seasons ago.
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis wants at least £110 million for Osimhen, while Chelsea want to recoup at least £30 million of the £97.5 million they spent to bring the Belgium international back to Stamford Bridge.
PSG have offered Napoli multiple player swap offers to avoid meeting their price tag, all of which have been rejected so far.
Lukaku, having spent the last two seasons on loan at Inter and then at Roma, has put up decent numbers in Italy and his keen to reunite with Conte. His £325,000-per-week contract at Chelsea expires in June 2026.
Osimhen, on the other hand, is currently training away from the first team as Napoli finalise a deal for his departure. His €12.82m-per-year contract at the Stadio Maradona is also set to run until June 2026.
The swap would do—for now
Chelsea need a readymade solution in a striker that could solve their goalscoring problems right away. Napoli, on the other hand, are understandably playing hardball but know this is the transfer window that will fetch them the biggest fee for Osimhen while also wanting to reunite Conte with Lukaku.
Conte knows what makes Lukaku tick. Over the next two or three seasons, however long he stays in Naples, he will almost certainly be able to convert Lukaku once again into a world-beating forward, while Osimhen is as good a readymade answer Chelsea will receive for their prayers.
All parties should work together to make this move happen, it’s as simple as that.
