Chelsea ‘on the verge’ of finalising £39m Osimhen swap deal with ‘two stars set for Napoli’

According to reports, Chelsea are ‘on the verge’ of signing Napoli forward Victor Osimhen as part of a ‘sensational swap deal’.

Unsurprisingly, Chelsea have been at the centre of this summer’s transfer drama, but they are yet to sign a new striker.

The addition of a new striker was one of Chelsea’s priorities ahead of this summer’s window as they are lacking a world-class forward.

Currently, Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson are their main options, but Chelsea could certainly do with signing another striker before this window closes.

The Blues were initially expected to sign Atletico Madrid youngster Samu Omorodion in a deal worth around £34.5m, but this deal fell through after the Premier League giants made a ‘disrespectful’ offer to the 20-year-old.

With Atletico Madrid needing a sale to finalise the signing of Conor Gallagher from Chelsea for £34m, they have been in talks with the Blues over Joao Felix’s potential return to Stamford Bridge.

But Felix’s return to Stamford Bridge would see Chelsea sign another versatile attacker and they would still require a natural centre-forward.

With the Omorodion deal off, it’s been widely reported that they are turning their attention to signing Nigeria international Osimhen.

READ: Why the Chelsea negativity? They are set up perfectly to dominate as soon as Guardiola leaves

The 25-year-old has emerged as one of the best strikers in Europe in recent years. Napoli declined last season, but the prolific forward impressed as he scored 15 goals in his 25 Serie A appearances.

In recent windows, Osimhen has been priced out of a move to the Premier League and he has a £110m release clause in his contract.

However, Osimhen is actively pushing for a move elsewhere and Napoli have been in discussions with Chelsea in an attempt to reach a compromise as they are looking to sign Belgium international Romelu Lukaku.

And a report from The Sun claims Chelsea are ‘on the verge’ of signing Osimhen in a ‘sensational swap deal’, with two players ‘set for Napoli’.

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The report explains.

‘Ex-Blues boss Antonio Conte, now in charge at the Italian club, wants £97.5m Stamford Bridge outcast Romelu Lukaku, young £17m midfielder Cesare Casadei PLUS a further £39m to seal the transfer.

‘Nigerian hitman Osimhen, 25, wants to quit the Serie A side, while Belgian striker Lukaku, 31, is desperate to end his Chelsea hell after two years out on loan.

‘Chelsea’s new boss Enzo Maresca is keen on Osimhen after the collapse of Samu Omorodion’s £34.5m move from Atletico Madrid.

‘Osimhen has been on Chelsea’s wish list for some time. He scored 15 goals in Serie A last season and now wants to test himself in the Prem.

‘Napoli and Chelsea have discussed loan swaps but Osimhen is believed to prefer a permanent move to the West Londoners. He has been linked to French giants Paris Saint-Germain but Blues lead the race to sign him.’