Chelsea are considering signing Napoli striker Victor Osimhen on a permanent basis according to reports in Italy,
It’s well documented that Chelsea are in the market for a striker despite signing teenager Marc Guiu from Barcelona and they thought they had their man in Samu Omordion only for the deal to collapse on Sunday evening due to a major problem with finalising the contract.
The Blues have been linked with a move for Osimhen for the majority of the summer, but they have reportedly only been interested in signing him if he becomes available for loan.
Chelsea considering signing Osimhen permanently
However, Italian outlet Di Marzio have reported that Chelsea are now considering signing the Nigeria international on a permanent basis.
The report adds that Chelsea’s technical staff have given the green light to push for Osimhen and the possibility of a loan with an obligation or a swap with Lukaku and cash could now be back on the table.
This transfer saga has been rumbling on for weeks and could go right up to the final few days of the window, but it makes sense for deal to be struck given Chelsea want to offload Lukaku and Osimhen wants to leave Napoli.
Lukaku has reportedly already agreed a three year contract with Napoli, where he would reunite with Antonio Conte and he has a £38m exit clause in his Chelsea contract which the Italian’s so far haven’t been prepared to pay.
Osimhen has a reported release clause of around £113m which Chelsea or any other suitors aren’t prepared to match.
Paris Saint Germain were interested in Osimhen earlier this summer and he was happy to move to Paris but the clubs couldn’t agree a fee.
Whilst it can’t be ruled out that PSG won’t come back in with a late offer, it’s very much starting to feel like it could be Chelsea or bust for Osimhen as the end of the window draws nearer.