According to reports, Napoli outcast Victor Osimhen is ‘favouring’ a summer move to Chelsea amid interest from Arsenal and Manchester United.
Osimhen has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League in recent years, but he was priced out of a transfer before the 2024 summer window.
The Nigeria forward’s situation changed last summer as he butted heads with the hierarchy at Napoli, who looked to offload their pricey asset following the arrival of Romelu Lukaku.
Osimhen attracted interest from Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain towards the end of last summer’s window, but the two sides failed to agree on a late loan deal. Instead, he joined Turkish giants Galatasaray on loan as a stop-gap option.
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The prolific forward has been superb for Galatasary this season, grabbing 28 goals and five assists in his 32 appearances.
Galatasaray presumably would love to keep Osimhen, but he is likely to secure a permanent move elsewhere with Chelsea, Arsenal and Man Utd in the market for a striker and mooted as possible destinations.
Now, a report from Football Transfers claims Chelsea has decided that he ‘wants’ to sign for Chelsea and is ‘set’ on joining the Premier League giants after a proposed move fell through last year.
The report notes Chelsea are also interested in Ipswich Town standout Liam Delap, but they are ready to ‘rekindle their interest in Osimhen, who is ‘favouring’ a switch to Stamford Bridge.
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The report explains:
‘Chelsea are determined to sign a new centre forward during the 2025 summer transfer window and the west London giants are ready to rekindle their interest in Osimhen, FootballTransfers has been told.
‘We have been informed that Osimhen has set his sights on completing a move to Stamford Bridge this summer, with the Blues interested in signing the 26-year-old as they look to purchase a prolific goalscorer ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.
‘FootballTransfers understands that Ipswich Town forward Liam Delap is also a major target for Chelsea, although it’s anticipated that the Blues will reignite their pursuit of Osimhen when the summer window opens.
‘The Nigeria superstar has been heavily linked with Manchester United in recent weeks, amid Ruben Amorim’s determination to sign a new striker, but we understand that Osimhen currently favours a move to Stamford Bridge.
‘The 26-year-old will be available for a fee of between €75-80 million (a maximum of £68m), due to a release clause in his Napoli contract, and he is expected to leave the Serie A giants on a permanent deal this summer.’
