In their bid to sign Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, Chelsea are willing to offer £77 million plus two players in the summer transfer window as a means of bolstering their attacking ranks, according to Italian journalist, Gianluca Di Marzio.
These two players are Romelu Lukaku, who is on loan from London to Roma, and Hakim Ziyech, who is currently playing in Turkey for Galatasaray, also on loan from Chelsea.
The Blues’ longstanding pursuit of a striker has been no secret. For a side looking to re-enter the top four of the Premier League on a more regular basis, Chelsea’s desire to bring in someone of Osimhen’scalibre is understandable on the basis that he’s scored 14 goals in 22 league outings for a beleaguered Napoli side.
And the West London-based outfit’s need for a reliable source of goals has been boosted tenfold after Nicolas Jackson’s wastefulness in front of goal has raised eyebrows at Stamford Bridge.
Jackson’s Premier League goal tally of 11 is, by no means, a bad return – but given the Senegal international is among the strikers with the worst big-chance conversion rate in Europe’s top five leagues, acquiring Osimhen is now at the top of their priority list once July hits.
Last summer, Todd Boehly and co. forked out huge sums of money to bring in the likes of Moises Caicedo, Jackson and Christopher Nkunku but with them sitting in eighth place, 16 points off fourth-placed Aston Villa.
Lukaku, who is currently on loan at Roma, is believed to be one of the two that Chelsea are willing to send in the opposite direction, while a youngster – who has remained unnamed – is also thought to be a part of the mammoth package the Blues are planning to table.
According to the report, not only will Chelsea face stiff competition from PSG, who are planning for a potential life without Kylian Mbappe, but Liverpool have also been credited with an interest ahead of an all-important summer at Anfield.
It has recently been suggested by Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport (via SportWitness) that the Merseysiders, as they enter a new dawn with Arne Slot at the helm, are also interested in the 25-year-old’s services amid Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah and the like facing difficulties in front of goal .
The report also suggests that English top tier duo Manchester United and Arsenal are also keen admirers of the £250-a-week earner.
For years, Osimhen has set Italian football alight, but whether he could replicate his goal-scoring form in the Premier League remains to be seen.
