Chelsea: Osimhen ‘agreement’ in January depends on two factors as report reveals new ‘expectation’

According to reports, Chelsea are ‘considering a move’ to sign Galatasaray loanee Victor Osimhen and ‘could agree a pre-January deal’ with Napoli.

Osimhen was among Chelsea ‘s top targets in the summer as they were in the market for a world-class forward.

Chelsea were the biggest spenders in Europe in the summer , but they were unable to sign a new striker as they missed out on Osimhen.

The Nigeria international has established himself as one of the best strikers in Europe and Napoli priced him out of a move elsewhere in recent seasons.

However, Napoli were open to letting him go in the summer as he was pushing for a move and they have signed Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea as a replacement.

In the summer, Osimhen had a release clause of around £110m in his contract. Despite this, Napoli’s asking price decreased as the transfer window progressed as they agreed to sell the forward to Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ahli for around £63m.

READ: Manchester United lose first Chelsea battle in interminable £25m Jadon Sancho war

Osimhen was not keen on moving to the Saudi Pro League so this deal fell through and Al-Ahli signed Ivan Toney as a cheaper alternative.

This left Chelsea as his most likely destination on deadline day and they were in talks with Napoli over a loan deal with an obligation to buy, but a deal was not finalised before the transfer window closed.

Had he stuck with Napoli until January, Osimhen may not have played for a single minute as his relationship with the Serie A giants has broken down.

So a short-term compromise was reached, with Osimhen joining Turkish giants Galatasaray on loan.

Osimhen has been linked with several elite European clubs in recent years, so this transfer is very underwhelming.

Galatasaray are unlikely to have Osimhen for long, though. This is because there is a break clause in this loan deal and he has a re-negotiated release clause, which is understood to be worth around £63m.

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A report from Football Insider claims Chelsea ‘could agree a pre-January deal’ to sign Osimhen as ‘Napoli will be desperate to receive a decent fee for the striker rather than see him leave for free’. His contract is due to expire in 2026.

There are said to be a couple of factors that could ensure Chelsea miss out on Osimhen again, though. The report claims.

‘The Blues are closely monitoring his situation after missing out in the summer, and could be tempted to make a move in January if they feel a striker is still a priority. However, they are expected to be joined in their pursuit by a number of elite clubs across Europe and the Middle East when his price tag lowers.

‘There is an expectation at Stamford Bridge that the loan move will not scupper the potential for a permanent deal with Napoli in January.

‘The Blues, however, already have an over-inflated squad, with many top players expelled from training and frozen out of Enzo Maresca’s squad.

‘There have been suggestions that they will need to cash in on some of the fringe players in January before they can add further signings to their side. Sources also say the ongoing ownership situation at Stamford Bridge will need to be resolved before the club can have any real direction in the transfer market.’