Chelsea miss out on mind-blowing Victor Osimhen deal as reason behind transfer collapse revealed

Chelsea’s painstakingly long pursuit of Napoli star Victor Osimhen has ultimately come to nothing after both sides failed to strike a last-gasp deal on transfer deadline day.

Osimhen has been one of the most sought-after strikers in the world off the back of his performances for Napoli in recent seasons. Before that, though, the Nigeria international grabbed the headlines when he swapped Lille for the Italian team in 2020 for a fee worth up to £67m.

However, he was unable to hit the heights he achieved for the French outfit in 2019/20, where he scored 18 goals in 38 matches. A return of 10 goals in 30 games didn’t set the world alight in 2020/21, but his stock was certainly rising after adding a further 18 in the following season.

All the big hitters sat up and took notice, though, when the Nigerian forward rifled in 31 goals in 39 matches as Napoli won their first Scudetto in 33 years.

Chelsea, Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, and more began to closely monitor his situation but Napoli seemed to firmly shut the door on a transfer exit in December 2023, thanks to a mind-boggling contract negotiation.

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Osimhen signed a new deal with the Italian side until the summer of 2026, with a new release clause set at a whopping £113m.

A month after that deal, he said: “The rumour is going around about me linked with the Premier League. When you’re one of the hottest strikers on the globe, you expect this type of thing, and of course, the Premier League is one of the biggest and best leagues in the whole world.

“I’m with Napoli, I signed a new contract. I’m enjoying my time there. I think I’ve already made up my mind, I already know what I want to do in my career. Since I’ve started, I’ve been the one making my own decisions and everything is working out well for me.

“I already know the next step I want to take, so for now I just want to finish the season strong. I will [then] go relax somewhere with my daughter, think about my life and then finally come out with a decision that I’ve already made.”

Osimhen and Napoli were unable to hit the heights of the previous campaign, as he finished with 17 goals and the Blues ended up 10th in Serie A.

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That did not stop Chelsea – who considered a loan deal and a Romelu Lukaku swap before he joined Napoli – Arsenal, and PSG keeping tabs on the 25-year-old and then Saudi Pro League team Al-Ahli entered the race for his signature, too.

They were prepared to offer him an eye-watering €160m offer over a four-year contract, and for a time, Chelsea’s bid looked dead in the water.

However, TEAMtalk revealed that Osimhen favoured staying in Europe, leading Al-Ahli to turn to Brentford’s Ivan Toney instead.

In a bid to get the Osimhen transfer over the line, our sources confirmed Chelsea were ready to make him their top earner in the days prior to the transfer deadline on August 30.

When deadline day came, TEAMtalk transfer correspondent Fraser Gillan revealed Osimhen had made it clear to Napoli he wanted to head to Stamford Bridge.

But, despite long negotiations into the night, a deal could not be forged. TEAMtalk understands personal terms between Chelsea and Osimhen could not be struck, and that ultimately scuppered a potential transfer.

As a result, Osimhen remains at Napoli for the time being. The Saudi Pro League transfer window remains open until September 2 but a move to the Middle East seems remote.