Osimhen out of Napoli squad against Genoa as PSG set aside mega-money to beat Chelsea to Eagles striker

 Super Eagles Victor Osimhen returned to training with Napoli on Friday, but will not be part of the squad against Genoa on Saturday, as he is preparing for the Champions League.

The Partenopei are in action against Genoa at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Saturday at 14.00 GMT.

Osimhen has not seen his club teammates since the end of December when he left to participate in Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign.

They made it to the Final, eventually losing 2-1 to the Ivory Coast.

The striker was meant to be back earlier on Thursday, but missed his flight, eventually landing in Napoli in the evening.

Osimhen returned to training on Friday, but a statement from Napoli confirms he only did personalised training work separately. Most importantly, it states he will continue that work on Saturday, so will not be part of the squad against Genoa.

Coach Walter Mazzarri hopes that last year’s Serie A Capocannoniere will be ready to face Barcelona in the Champions League Round of 16 next week.

Meanwhile, Osimhen will be one of the biggest stories of the summer, with Paris Saint-Germain ready to battle Chelsea and others for his signature.

The Blues have been working tirelessly in their attempts to lure the Nigeria international to Stamford Bridge but their efforts may ultimately be to no avail.

As exclusively revealed by TEAMtalk, Chelsea have already held talks with Osimhen’s agents as they try to ascertain the conditions necessary for a summer deal.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side are set to face serious competition from PSG for Osimhen as the French club looks to bring in a big-name replacement for outgoing superstar Kylian Mbappe.

Both clubs will have to match Osimhen’s £111m release clause in his contract to sign him in the summer – which is valid until 2026.

TEAMtalk can confirm that PSG have also made contact with the Napoli star and their financial capabilities are a big threat to Chelsea’s hopes of bringing him in.

The French champions can offer Osimhen higher wages and that is their biggest weapon in terms of a deal.

Chelsea have a wage structure in place that puts a cap on the salaries of their players. The London club’s board will not pay anyone over £150,000 per week except in certain circumstances.

Osimhen would qualify as a player whom Chelsea would break their structure for, but TEAMtalk sources say the board are not keen to set a precedent that could affect future contract negotiations.

Chelsea legends such as John Obi-Mikel and Didier Drogba have been tasked with selling the club’s project to the 25-year-old.

Club chiefs see Osimhen as a key target and the perfect man to get them back to the pinnacle of European football thanks to his goal-scoring abilities.

However, if PSG does offer Osimhen a substantially higher salary than Chelsea, the Blues will be forced into a decision: break their wage structure or potentially miss out on a top target.

Manuel Urgarte is a player who picked PSG over Chelsea in the summer of 2023 and the club will not want to see a repeat of that situation. Pochettino’s side has also been looking at alternatives to Osimhen, such as Brighton’s Evan Ferguson, Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres, and Brentford’s Ivan Toney.