Chelsea offered £38.6m part-exchange deal for Victor Osimhen as Napoli alter demands

Chelsea have been handed a huge boost in their bid to sign Victor Osimhen as Napoli have proposed a deal that would see the Blues pay just £38.6m for the striker.

Enzo Maresca is keen to add a striker to his ranks this summer and thought he would have Samu Omorodion to call upon after Chelsea agreed a £34.5m deal with Atletico Madrid.

But the 20-year-old turned the Blues down as he felt ‘disrespected’ in negotiations , reportedly because of the club’s attempt to buy 50 per cent of his image rights.

The collapse of that deal has thrown Conor Gallagher’s proposed move to Atletico into doubt, and he’s now returned to Stamford Bridge while the details are ironed out , with Chelsea instead considering signing Joao Felix from the La Liga side.

But it has also strengthened Chelsea’s resolve to sign a senior striker, which may well have happened in any case, and Osimhen has remained at the top of the club’s wishlist throughout the summer.

There have been two sticking points: the transfer fee and his wage demands. But a report in Italy claims Napoli have come up with a solution for the former.

Napoli boss Antonio Conte wants to reunite with Romelu Lukaku, whom Chelsea are desperate to receive a fee for after two seasons on loan, and the Serie A side want the Belgian as part of a part-exchange deal.

But even with Lukaku included, the transfer fee is too steep for Chelsea, who are struggling to stay within the bounds of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.

Napoli have therefore told Chelsea that they would take Lukaku and Cesare Casadei for Osimhen, as well as £38.6m.

Casadei spent last season on loan at Leicester with Maresca but was one of the players who was not included in the club’s pre-season tour of the United States and is said to be available for transfer.

The midfielder is thought to be interested in returning to his homeland this summer and Lukaku is willing to take a pay-cut to join Conte at Napoli, so the remaining issue is Osimhen’s wage demands.

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The Nigerian wants €12m per year, which would put him just below Reece James at the top of the salary charts at Stamford Bridge, and one of the key strategies for the American owners has been to offer lower wages over longer contracts.

Reports have suggested that Chelsea are interested in a loan move for Osimhen, but while the striker is open to the move to Stamford Bridge he only wants a permanent transfer, or at the very least a loan with an obligation to buy.

Paris Saint-Germain were also interested in Osimhen at the start of the window and it’s been claimed that Arsenal were in the mix as well, but transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claims it’s currently a one-horse race.

“Finally on Chelsea, there is still no major update or change to the Victor Osimhen situation. They never left the race, but Osimhen still insists on a permanent transfer and he won’t lower his salary demands,” Romano said.

“I’m also not aware of any negotiation ongoing right now with other clubs, despite some reports in Italy mentioning Arsenal. PSG had the green light from Osimhen one month ago but then they started working on different targets, so as far as I know there are currently no discussions ongoing with other clubs.”