It’s been a long summer as far as Chelsea have been concerned.
The Blues have managed to make a handful of decent signings with Pedro Neto being the headline grabber at this point, however, their pursuit of Napoli’s Victor Osimhen has been frustrating to say the least.
With two weeks left of the current transfer window, there isn’t long left to construct a deal, though if you take the view of the glass being half full, then there’s still time if all parties are willing to find common ground.
Chelsea’s striker issues being sorted
In the meantime, one transfer deal for a striker is moving closer according to Fabrizio Romano.
“This week in London a director of Napoli has been working on the deal for Romelu Lukaku,” he said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive Daily Briefing.
“We know that Lukaku has an agreement with Napoli for a three-year contract, the salary is okay and the player is already talking with Antonio Conte. He wants to go to Napoli, but work is still ongoing.
“During these conversations I can tell you, once again, that Chelsea told Napoli clearly that they have Victor Osimhen on their list and they want to make a move for him, but as of now, Chelsea have still not presented a contract proposal to the player.
“So, I would say we are still at the early stages of the Osimhen story, but at the advanced stages of the Lukaku story.”
With the Belgian powerhouse clearly expecting to therefore line up for the Partnopei in 2024/25, it’s in everyone’s best interest for the loose ends to be tied up on the Osimhen transfer.
It may not be Napoli’s preferred option, but a staged payment for the Nigerian by Chelsea might be the only option that unlocks the deal to take him to West London.
It’s been clear for a while that Osimhen wants out, so he too may need to bend a little during negotiations or risk an unhappy first few months of the new campaign whilst stuck at the Serie A giants.