Staggering new £126m bid arrives for Chelsea target Victor Osimhen; second star rejects PSG for Blues

A stunning €150million (£126.1m) offer has come in as the Saudis try to beat Chelsea to the capture of Victor Osimhen, while a second star has revealed he rejected Paris Saint-Germain before agreeing a move to Stamford Bridge.

Osimhen has not played for Napoli this season as the Italian giants are well aware of his desire to move on and join a truly elite club. New Napoli boss Antonio Conte has already prepared for life without the lethal striker by signing Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea.

There was talk of a potential player-plus-cash deal involving both Osimhen and Lukaku, but that ultimately did not come to fruition.

The main European clubs who have been linked with Osimhen in recent months are Chelsea and PSG. While PSG have seemingly dropped out of the race, Saudi club Al-Ahli have burst into frame and are providing Chelsea with serious competition for the Nigerian.

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To compensate Osimhen for leaving elite football in Europe, Al-Ahli know they will have to pay the goalscorer huge money.

Their first contract offer, worth €120m (£100.9m), was rejected. As per journalist Ben Jacobs, Al-Ahli have returned with a new contract proposal worth an eye-watering £126.1m.

The Saudi Pro League side are also in talks with Napoli over a cut-price deal for Osimhen worth around €68m (£57.1m). Chelsea, meanwhile, have been told they will have to pay closer to £100m for the 25-year-old, as Napoli would much rather sell to Al-Ahli.

It remains to be seen whether the Blues will agree to pay such a big amount for him, however. Plus, Chelsea will need to convince Osimhen on their offer of a loan with an obligation to buy, as he would rather be involved in a blockbuster – and potentially record-breaking – transfer.

Chelsea transfers: Victor Osimhen race goes down to the wire

There is ‘cautious optimism’ at Al-Ahli that they will manage to snare Osimhen, and Chelsea need to move fast if they want to make him their new No 9 before Friday’s transfer deadline.

Should Enzo Maresca’s side miss out on the former Lille ace, then they will attempt to bring in Brentford hitman Ivan Toney instead, to add much-needed experience to their forward line.

Arsenal are mobilising and could bid for Toney too, which sets up an intriguing end to the transfer window for both clubs.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Mike Penders has revealed he snubbed PSG in order to sign for Chelsea.

The Belgian shot-stopper has joined Chelsea in a deal worth £17m but will not move to West London until next summer, as he will spend the current campaign back on loan with Genk.

“I am very happy of course,” he said in a new interview. “This is a dream for everyone who ever starts playing football. Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in England. It is a great honour to be part of it soon.

“PSG also showed interest for a while, but yes… Chelsea pushed the hardest and had the best sporting plan for me. So, I went for it.”

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