According to a Mirror report, Napoli forward Victor Osimhen is not keen on a move to Chelsea, who themselves, as reported by Daily Mail, are now unlikely to move for him after progressing talks with Atlético Madrid for Samu Omorodion.
Osimhen has been linked with PSG and Arsenal as well, the former having seen their earlier offers rejected by Napoli.
Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis has also come down from his initial £110m demand for his star striker and is expected to entertain offers in the region of £84 million to make sure the Nigeria international does not run down his €12.82m-per-year contract, which expires in June 2026.
Osimhen’s links to Chelsea are particularly stronger given the 2022/23 Serie A champions’ interest in Blues outcast Romelu Lukaku, who wants to reunite with Antonio Conte in Naples.
This has prompted in recent weeks talks of loan moves to swap deals that could see Lukaku and Osimhen travel in opposite directions, though little progress has been made in the last few days.
Chelsea’s pursuit for Samu Omorodion should in no way be affecting their interest in Victor Osimhen.
Why? One’s a young prospect, one for the future, while the other is already one the world’s best who will be expected to hit the ground running. Omorodion’s acquisition should put question marks over Nicolas Jackson’s future, though one fails to see how both he and Osimhen cannot co-exist in the same squad.
As for Osimhen’s lack of interest in Chelsea, one can understand why that may be the case. Chelsea are not in the Champions League, and it doesn’t look like they will be guaranteed participants in Europe’s biggest competition in the long term right now anyway, so one cannot blame him for being ambitious during his prime years.
That said, there are few who can offer him a bumped-up contract if he is to leave Napoli, leaving only PSG and Arsenal as those linked with him who could offer him both a good contract and a good project. But time’s also running out, since Napoli would not want to reduce their price tag for him any further.
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