Chelsea are keen on acquiring Napoli’s hot-cake striker Victor Osimhen this summer, with the Blues potential manager Mauricio Pochettino eager to bring in a point man when he takes over as head coach this summer.
Pochettino is expected to land in London this week to pen down a three-year contract and will have budgets to reinforce his team.
Chelsea want a potent striker and Victor Osimhen has emerged as their primary target when the summer transfer window opens.
This season, Chelsea struggled to score goals because they haven’t had a clinical striker since they traded Diego Costa away in 2017.
Osimhen has been on Chelsea’s transfer radar for a while, especially because they are losing the battle to keep Mason Mount.
With 23 goals in 29 league games, the Nigerian International striker has been exceptional in Napoli’s dominating season in the Italian Serie A.
Osimhen had previously fared well against Chelsea, scoring for Lille in the 2019 Champions League match against the London club.
Napoli are likely to seek a hefty transfer fee if they want to sell the 24-year-old. After advancing to the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals this season, Napoli will look to defend their title aggressively and mount a serious push in the Champions League next year.
Victor Osimhen’s stats this season;
The 24-year-old Nigeria International has played 36 matches for the current Scudetto winners scoring 28 goals and registering four assists in all competitions.
Victor Osimhen’s contract and salary with Napoli;
With a weekly pay of €104,808 (N51m) and a monthly salary of €419,232 (N204m), Osimhen is Napoli’s second highest-paid player. His annual salary at the Italian club is €5 million (N2. 5 billion).
Therefore, Since the Blues will not be competing in Europe, they must market themselves to possible signings.
In the pursuit of Osimhen, they will be challenged by Bayern Munich. Even though Manchester United have shown interest, Harry Kane of Tottenham remains their primary target.
Osimhen’s ability to adjust to English football may be a cause for concern. When striker Romelu Lukaku returns to Chelsea from a loan spell at Inter Milan, the Blues will have a decision to make.
Although Pochettino will give Lukaku a go, it is uncertain whether or not he will be loaned back to Inter. In addition, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang must be traded by Chelsea to strike a balance.
Chelsea’s offense has a lot of pieces, but no one to put them together, they have also considered Lautaro Martnez of Inter and Ivan Toney of Brentford as a potential signings.
On the other hand, Chelsea are looking to replace Édouard Mendy and Kepa Arrizabalaga in the goalkeeping position, and they have their sights set on Emi Martnez of Aston Villa, David Raya of Brentford, and André Onana of Inter.
It’s more likely that Chelsea will focus on players departing the club than making significant additions.
After blowing over €600 million in two transfer windows, the team now have a bloated roster and must raise money to avoid violating financial fair play regulations.
Mount, one of the best players to come out of Chelsea’s academy, is expected to leave the club due to contract issues. There has been no movement on extending the midfielder’s contract, which is set to expire next year.
While both Liverpool and Manchester United are interested in signing Mount, the Reds have the upper hand.
Meanwhile, Pochettino’s presence has sparked hope that the England international will remain at Chelsea, but the Blues are not confident about keeping the 24-year-old.
What’s next for Chelsea?
The Blues will lock horns against Manchester City in the English Premier League on Sunday, 21st of May, at the Etihad Stadium, as the Cityzens will be looking to secure their Premier League title.
Who’s Victor Osimhen?
Osimhen is a Nigeria Professional football player who plays as a striker for the Nigerian national team and Serie A club Napoli.
Osimhen’s age;
Victor Osimhen was born on the 29th of December, 1998, in Lagos, Nigeria.
Victor Osimhen’s career;
Osimhen kicked off his professional career with VfL Wolfsburg in Germany in 2017.
He spent the first part of 2018-19 on loan with Belgian club Charleroi before making the switch to French team Lille.
He debuted in the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League season while playing for the French club.
Osimhen moved to Napoli of Serie A in 2020 for a then-record transfer price of €70 million. In 2021-22, he was named Serie A’s best rookie. He has scored more goals than any other African player in a single Serie A season, setting a new record.
Osimhen was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after helping Nigeria win the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
In June of 2017, he was called up to the senior national team and he participated in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. He has scored nine goals for Nigeria, making him the country’s tenth-all-time leading scorer.
