Victor Osimhen could gift Chelsea massive £84m transfer boost despite PSG agent meeting fears

29426496Napoli striker Victor Osimhen may lend Chelsea a major helping hand in their race to secure his services this summer despite worries that Ligue 1 outfit Paris Saint-Germain are now heavy favourites to sign the star.

The Blues have been linked with the Nigeria international for a number of windows now, having never truly been able to replicate the firepower upfront of the likes of club legend Didier Drogba or cult hero Diego Costa in more recent years. While current frontman Nicolas Jackson’s numbers in his Premier League debut season were solid enough, the rawness of his performances were evident under Mauricio Pochettino, having underscored his Expected Goals by nearly six.

It’s meant the position is one that the Blues are likely to prioritise this summer with the arrival of new manager Enzo Maresca, although they’re yet to address the issue despite having already made five signings with two more young, defensive additions to the squad lined up this summer.

They’re not alone though in having scouted out Osimhen over the years since the star’s impressive seasons in the Serie A. Rivals Arsenal are one team that has had Osimhen on their radar for a long time, but have failed to properly act on their chance to get the 25-year-old, and earlier this week, it was believed that the Blues sat in pole position after they reinvigorated their attempts to make progress with a deal for the striker.

However, PSG are reportedly becoming ‘increasingly confident’ that they can secure Osimhen’s services this summer in what would be a €100million (£84m) deal after seeing star forward Kylian Mbappe unveiled at Real Madrid yesterday. The Ligue 1 champions are set to ramp up their business over the next few weeks which could see them win the race for the Nigeria international, and according to Italian outlet SPORT Mediaset, the deal is ‘near a turning point’.

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After Osimhen’s agent Roberto Calenda flew to Paris to speak directly with PSG, a meeting is believed to have ‘yielded positive results’ around a deal which could leave the Blues in the dust. It’s believed Osimhen himself is keen on moving to PSG if they can come to an agreement on a fee, and the French club are beginning to advance talks.

It means that the Blues are now certainly not the ones leading the way for Osimhen, who would no doubt be something of a dream signing for Maresca this summer, but the star is set to give them a boost in their hopes of bringing him to west London before the start of the 2024/25 campaign.

According to French outlet L’Equipe, Osimhen has reportedly decided to stop training with the Napoli team this summer in the hopes it’ll force a move to one of Europe’s top teams over the next few weeks. The report also claims that PSG aren’t willing to pay the star’s full release clause of €130m (£110m), meaning there could be a window where the Blues could splash out on the forward which would not go against their character in the transfer market over the last few seasons.

Major deals for the likes of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo have both reached over £105m, meaning that the figure isn’t something that owner Todd Boehly and his sporting directors will be afraid of. For now though, it remains unclear whether or not the Blues have the capabilities to make such a deal this summer in their bid to stay in accordance with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSRs).