Chelsea and Napoli in advance talk over Osimhen and Lukaku’s swap
A potential swap plus cash deal involving Victor Osimhen and Romelu Lukaku is gaining momentum for Serie A side Napoli and Premier League side Chelsea.
Il Mattino on Wednesday reported about the possibility of the deal going through and they believe that the chances are increasing. Chelsea it is stated, are currently leading the race for Osimhen and are ahead of Paris Saint-Germain already, with the Nigerian keen on a move to the Premier League too.
They are desperate to get rid of Lukaku this summer and they are currently relying fully on the deal to bring Osimhen to Stamford Bridge in an attempt to move the Belgian out of the club. Antonio Conte’s interest and liking for Lukaku is playing a role in the chances of a deal like that going through, with Chelsea also seeing Osimhen as a very key target.
Giovanni Manna, Napoli’s new sporting director, has some work to do and one of his main tasks will be to sell Osimhen and this opportunity with Chelsea could prove to be very important.
Osimhen is willing to join Chelsea this summer.
The Nigerian striker, who joined for a club-record fee from Lille in 2020, scored 15 goals and added three assists in 25 league games for Napoli this season.
Osimhen is also being linked with a move to Arsenal.
Both London clubs are in the market for a starting center-forward this year and could compete for Osimhen’s signature.
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis confirmed that Osimhen - who former Sassuolo coach Alessio Dionisi labelled "unstoppable" last season - would leave the club in the summer, saying that ‘he will go to Real Madrid, PSG, or some Premier League team’.
The 25-year-old signed a new contract with the Italian side last December but has a release clause included, worth around £113million.
After splashing out more than £1billion on new players under part-owner Todd Boehly’s management, Chelsea are likely to reduce spending this summer and could seek to negotiate with Napoli for Osimhen’s signature.
