Chelsea are reportedly close to completing a deal for Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, which would see two players heading to Napoli in exchange.
The London club have been searching for a new striker all summer and have stepped up their efforts to sign Osimhen after an eleventh-hour move for Samu Omorodion from Atletico Madrid fell through.
Reigning CAF Player of the Year Osimhen has asked to leave Napoli, who are eager to sign Romelu Lukaku as his replacement.
Chelsea are trying to use Lukaku as a bargaining chip to reduce Osimhen’s price tag, which is believed to be around £100m.
However, Lukaku is not the only player Chelsea have offered to Napoli, with midfielder Cesare Casadei now involved in talks.
According to The Sun (via Mirror), Chelsea could end up spending just £39million on Osimhen, with Lukaku and Casadei going in the opposite direction as part of the deal.
New Napoli head coach Antonio Conte is eager to reunite with Lukaku, whom he previously managed at Inter Milan.
Lukaku has reportedly agreed personal terms with Napoli, agreeing to a significant pay cut, but the same cannot be said for Osimhen and Chelsea. Osimhen reportedly signed a huge £210,000-a-week contract in December last year and is reluctant to take a pay cut.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have a strict wage structure to contend with, with only three of their current players (Lukaku, Reece James and Raheem Sterling) earning more than £200,000 per week. Those contracts were all agreed before the club’s wage structure was changed in late 2022.
Related Services
Do you have what it takes?
Predict and win millions now
