Napoli rejects cash plus Lukaku offer for Osimhen

Chelsea have reportedly had a player-plus-cash offer ‘rejected’ for Victor Osimhen as they continue to try and lure the Napoli star to Stamford Bridge. 

The Blues have made signing a new striker their top priority for the summer window and the 25-year-old has long been considered their top target.

Osimhen scored an incredible 26 goals in 32 Serie A appearances last season and has continued that form this term, netting 11 in 18 league games so far.

Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain have also been linked with the forward but what makes a deal difficult for all parties is his price tag.

Osimhen has a release clause of roughly £113m in his Napoli contract, which is valid until 2026. Chelsea are reluctant to pay that fee but at the same time, are determined to win the race for his signature.

According to Italian outlet Il Matino, Chelsea have just put forward a player-plus-cash offer for the Napoli star, but it was swiftly turned down by the Italian side.

The report claims that the Blues have offered Napoli Romelu Lukaku, who is currently on loan with Roma, plus an unrevealed fee for Osimhen.

It has recently been claimed that Napoli are interested in Lukaku as they believe his signing would help them lure former Chelsea and Tottenham manager Antonio Conte to the club.

However, Il Matino states that this bid has been ‘rejected’ by Napoli and now Chelsea are thinking of including another player in a swap.

The outlet suggests that Armando Broja, who is on loan with Fulham and is also ‘of interest’ to Napoli, will now be offered to the Serie A giants.

The London club are ‘trying to reduce the price to be paid for Osimhen’ but Napoli are reluctant to agree to a swap deal.

That’s because they are determined to generate as much money from his sale as possible, which seems ‘inevitable’ given the level of interest in him.