Chelsea’s summer transfer window shows no sign of slowing down as we head towards July – when the serious business looks likely to start.
The Blues have already completed the signing of Liam Delap this summer, while wonderkids Estevao Willian and Kendry Paez are joining up with the squad after already sealing deals previously.
There have also been links with a number of targets including another top striker and another winger after Jadon Sancho’s loan move from Manchester United was not made permanent, while Mykhailo Mudryk has now been hit with an anti-doping charge by the FA. Noni Madueke, meanwhile, has also been linked with a surprise exit.
Delap’s arrival has certainly helped strengthen up their depth in attack, with Nicolas Jackson forced to work largely on his own in the No.9 role across the last two seasons, only young striker Marc Guiu proving an option to rotate in occasionally.
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However, there are still questions over whether Chelsea will be back in the market, once again, for a striker this summer. Jackson’s future is not exactly certain, with links elsewhere growing amid concerns following his second straight red card in recent matches.
While a couple of early baths are no reason to entirely discard a player, Jackson is still a young player, having just turned 24, and the arrival of Delap certainly adds an element of doubt to his future.
There have been links to a number of players across recent windows, with the likes of Viktor Gyokeres and Hugo Ekitike among those linked. But few have been mentioned as regularly as Nigerian star Victor Osimhen.
The 26-year-old has put in some fine numbers in recent years, proving himself one of the deadliest strikers in Europe as he led Napoli to their first Serie A title in decades, before a loan move last season helped bring the Turkish Super Lig title to Galatasaray.
However, Italian champions Napoli have put a high price on the 26-year-old for any club hoping to sign him. It’s been suggested that they want as much as €75million (£64.1million) for any non-Italian team to sign the striker, with the price rising for any sides in Serie A. Manchester United are another outfit who have been linked with a move, while Liverpool have also been mentioned in passing.
But according to the CIES Football Observatory, that’s not close to what would represent a fair price for the striker. Instead he should be valued somewhere between €33million (£28.2million) and €49million (£41.1million).
A range of factors are involved in this valuation, but chief among them is likely to be his contract situation as well as uncertainty around his future following his year on loan in Turkey. Osimhen is also likely to command high wages, meaning clubs may be less willing to part with a large transfer fee to sign him – especially if they could negotiate a loan deal as Galatasaray did last season.
Added to that, the striker only has two years remaining on his deal with Napoli after agreeing a one-year extension when signing his loan move last summer.
It serves as somewhat of a warning if Chelsea were to make a serious move this summer where they failed last year, with wages proving to be the eventual stumbling block. The Blues could be overpaying by as much as £35.9m if they agreed to match Napoli’s asking price for the striker.
