Chelsea have been admirers of Victor Osimhen for a long while now and the rumours over a move for the striker refuse to go away as we approach the summer transfer window.
The Blues came quite close to signing the 26-year-old forward last summer, with Napoli willing to loan him to Stamford Bridge, but his wage demands meant the west Londoners opted to pull out of any deal. Almost 12 months on, Chelsea’s need and desire for a new No.9 has only increased with the club keen to ease the burden place on Nicolas Jackson’s shoulders.
As we approach the end of the season, Osimhen is likely to ask for around the same – if not more – as last summer in regards to his annual salary. That is why Chelsea’s interest in the Galatasaray loanee is tentative at this stage, football.london understands, as well as the fact he is the oldest from a list of options the Blues are looking at.
Either way, Osimhen has been outstanding in the Turkish top-flight this season for Gala, and given Chelsea’s desire for more goals, he could well be the solution for Enzo Maresca. Osimhen was open to moving to Stamford Bridge last summer but his financial demands did not align with what Chelsea were willing to pay.
Chelsea prefer to buy young players with lower salary demands and build them into superstars. See Cole Palmer, for example, who was given a contract extension with a significant pay rise after his breath-taking debut season with the club.
The Blues, though, are not ruling out a move for Osimhen this summer as he is set to return to Napoli once his loan with Gala concludes. Osimhen could be involved in both of Gala’s last two league games as his contract in Istanbul comes to an end, although it is uncertain what will happen at the moment because Nigeria have a game sandwiched between their final couple of fixtures.
Regardless of this, Osimhen is likely to join up with the rest of the Nigerian squad for their clash with Russia on June 6, around a week before Chelsea are set to jet off to the United States to compete in the revamped FIFA Club World Cup. The first transfer window – which only lasts 10 days – opens on June 1 and closes on June 10. football.london understands the Blues are keen to complete as many deals as possible in that period in order for any new signings to be available in America.
Whether or not that will be Osimhen remains to be seen, but with his goal scoring record this season, a lot of Chelsea supporters will be hoping he is one of them. The striker has scored 36 goals for Gala in all competitions this term to help the Turkish side win the Super Lig and the Turkish Cup.
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