A report from Telegraph Sport says Chelsea is still interested in signing Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, along with Atletico Madrid’s Samu Omorodion, to provide Romelu Lukaku for Antonio Conte.
The report also states that Paris Saint-Germain is still in the race but is having issues with his valuation and is under scrutiny for financial fair play by FIFA.
This has led to multiple reports of a massive merry-go-round in the transfer market that could see several strikers changing clubs.
If emerging reports are accurate, PSG may continue to pursue the signature of the Nigerian striker, as Atletico Madrid has already beaten them to a deal with Manchester City for Julian Alvarez at €70m plus bonuses. If the deal is successful, Atletico can release Omorodion to Chelsea for around €40m.
As it seemed that Chelsea were no longer interested in Osimhen, but Telegraph Sport insists that is not necessarily the case, so they aim to bolster their attack further by bringing in the Nigerian international as well, changing their approach to reroute Nicolas Jackson to the left wing.
However, the report also said that the Blues want the Napoli star ‘on loan’ rather than make the move permanent for the €100m plus add-ons in order to voice breaching the financial fair play rule.
Lukaku could then go to Napoli as Conte awaits his arrival. It is yet to be decided if it would also be a loan deal.
Both players are yet to feature for their club in the preseason as they await what becomes of their future, which seems far from being decided.
What will be left is to see if Chelsea will cover the entirety of Osimhen’s salary at the new €10 million per season contract signed in December 2023. This might not be entirely out of the question, as it would be a factor in the transfer market.
It is also possible that if PSG sign Julian Alvarez, and could still be in the market for Osimhen too.