Chelsea tipped to move for Victor Osimhen in January as Napoli prepare for cut-price exit

Chelsea are considering a move to sign Victor Osimhen in January thanks to a break clause in his loan deal with Galatasaray, according to reports.

The Napoli forward was the Blues’ top target this summer but they were unable to seal a deal despite being in negotiations with his agents until the final hours of the transfer window.

Osimhen was ultimately exiled from Napoli’s squad once the deal fell through and that’s why Galatasaray were able to sign him on loan.

As reported by Football Insider, Napoli have a break clause in his deal which means they can recall him in January and sell him elsewhere.

It’s claimed that the Italian club will be ‘desperate’ to receive a decent fee for the prolific striker rather than lose him on a free when his contract expires in 2026.

Osimhen reportedly has a new reduced release clause of £63.3m in his contract and Chelsea could trigger it in January if they feel a new striker is a priority at that point.

Chelsea are ‘closely monitoring’ Osimhen’s situation but 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.’

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Chelsea are still interested in Victor Osimhen

Sources have informed TEAMtalk that Napoli’s valuation was not a problem for Chelsea this summer and the deal collapsed purely because of Osimhen’s wage demands.

It has been suggested that the Nigerian forward wanted £400,000 per week to join the Blues and while the London side made an excellent offer on personal terms, it still didn’t match what he wanted.

We understand that Chelsea remain interested though and as suggested by Football Insider’s report, a move could depend on how Nicolas Jackson, Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku perform up front in the next few months.

Enzo Maresca’s side have got off to a decent start this term, picking up seven points from their first four games.

Jackson and Nkunku have scored two and one goals in the Premier League respectively, with the latter scoring a late winner against Bournemouth on Saturday night.

Chelsea target new left-back to replace Ben Chilwell

Meanwhile, Chelsea will be looking to offload several fringe players in January. The Blues managed to generate £147m from player sales this summer – the most of any club in Europe.

They parted ways with Conor Gallagher, Romelu Lukaku, Ian Maatsen, Omari Hutchinson and seven others to offset the £220m spent on new additions.

TEAMtalk understands that Axel Disasi, Benoit Badiashile and Ben Chilwell have been deemed surplus to requirements by Maresca.

We exclusively revealed on Saturday that Chelsea hold a concrete interest in Lecce left-back Patrick Dorgu, who could be brought in as a replacement for Chilwell.

Lecce, who value Dorgu at €40m (£33.8m), have opened discussions over a contract renewal to increase his salary and extend the expiry of his agreement – currently until 2027.

However, TEAMtalk sources say that it will be difficult for Lecce to resist the interest from foreign clubs in Dorgu in January.

Chelsea and Tottenham have both shown interest in Dorgu and he is a player to keep an eye on in the coming months.

Osimhen could be a game-changer for Chelsea

Osimhen is undoubtedly one of the best strikers in Europe on his day and it’s no surprise to see Chelsea still keeping tabs on him.

The 25-year-old fired Napoli to the Serie A title in 2022/23 by scoring an incredible 26 league goals in 32 appearances, before netting 15 in 25 matches last term.

Jackson was Chelsea’s main striker last term and while he netted 14 Premier League goals, he came under criticism for squandering big chances.

If Osimhen can replicate the form he has previously shown in the Serie A he could potentially be the signing that turns Chelsea into Premier League title contenders again.

Osimhen made his Galatasaray debut in a 5-0 win over Rizespor on Saturday and put in a good performance, making one assist.

The striker’s form over the next few months will no doubt impact whether Chelsea decide to make another move for him. Given the drop in quality from the Italian top flight to the Turkish Super League, you’d expect him to bag plenty of goals.

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