Chelsea
Premier League • England
Exclusive: Chelsea in new Victor Osimhen contact as Napoli rivals sensationally join transfer hunt
Chelsea have initiated new contact with the entourage of Victor Osimhen as they still hope to sign the striker, though the Blues will now face competition from Juventus for his services, TEAMtalk can reveal.
Osimhen’s future was one of the biggest topics of the summer transfer window, as Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Saudi club Al-Ahli were all heavily linked with landing him. PSG eventually withdrew from the race, which put Al-Ahli in pole position.
However, Al-Ahli went on to sign Ivan Toney from Brentford instead. Chelsea made a last-ditch attempt to rescue Osimhen, with his relationship with Napoli broken by that stage, but no deal could be reached.
After moves to Al-Ahli and Chelsea failed to materialise, Galatasaray swooped in to snare the centre-forward in a stunning loan move.
Before joining Galatasaray, Osimhen reached a new agreement with Napoli which has reduced his release clause from £108.3m (€130m / US$144.6m) to £62.5m (€75m / US$83.4m). This has put clubs across Europe on alert.
Sources have now confirmed to TEAMtalk that Chelsea have held fresh talks with Osimhen’s camp to discuss a blockbuster switch to West London in 2025, with the Nigerian still at the top of their striker wish list.
Chelsea are still planning on swooping for Osimhen next summer, though discussions are underway over whether a January move might be a possibility.
The star’s new exit clause should make it easier for Chelsea to strike a deal. After all, the only missing aspect for his transfer over the summer was an agreement between Chelsea and Napoli over the deal’s structure.
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Chelsea transfers: Juventus enter Victor Osimhen battle
Chelsea’s current striker Nicolas Jackson has had a great start to the season, and he registered two goals and an assist during the win over West Ham United on Saturday, but the Blues continue to dream about signing an elite No 9. Osimhen remains their favoured target and a huge move in 2025 is certainly on the cards.
Although, Chelsea are not alone in pursuing the deadly 25-year-old. TEAMtalk can reveal that Napoli’s Serie A rivals Juventus have asked for information about him.
Juve chiefs and head coach Thiago Motta are unhappy with the performances of current striker Dusan Vlahovic, whose chances of leaving in the summer are growing week by week.
The fact Vlahovic was substituted at half time during Juve’s goalless draw with Napoli over the weekend shows that Motta wants much more involvement in the game from his centre-forward, a characteristic that Osimhen would guarantee. This is why Osimhen has joined the list of top attackers Juve are looking at.
It is important to note that Osimhen’s new £62.5m release clause at Napoli is not valid for Italian clubs. As such, Juve are exploring how much a deal for the player will cost.
Despite being domestic competitors, Napoli would have no problem selling Osimhen to Juve as long as a fair amount is paid. Their goal is to resolve the transfer saga as soon as possible.
On Osimhen’s side, his agent is continuing to work to find him a new destination soon and – in addition to Juve and Chelsea – he has had fresh contact from Spain and Saudi Arabia.
Arsenal have also been tipped to bid for Osimhen, but Gunners insider Charles Watts states that Mikel Arteta will focus on different transfer objectives in 2025.
Viktor Gyokeres Chelsea’s backup option
Meanwhile, should Chelsea miss out on Osimhen to Juve, then Sporting CP goal machine Viktor Gyokeres could emerge as their primary target.
While some of Chelsea’s recent big-money signings have failed to live up to the hype, Osimhen or Gyokeres would pretty much guarantee goals as they are two lethal forwards.
One current Chelsea player who struggled initially is midfielder Moises Caicedo. However, the 22-year-old is thriving under Enzo Maresca and he put in another top performance during the win over West Ham.
On Monday, this prompted former Chelsea star John Obi Mikel to compare him to N’Golo Kante. Mikel went on to label Caicedo as an ‘absolutely fantastic player’ who might end up being Chelsea captain one day.
Osimhen has emerged into a top-class star