Transfer News: Chelsea handed valuation for signing Napoli striker Victor Osimhen
According to the Catalan publication El Nacional (h/t Football.London), Chelsea have been told the price tag it may take to land Napoli striker Victor Osimhen on a permanent transfer. He has once again been sensational this season while leading from the front in his team’s effort to challenge for the Serie A title.
The Nigerian striker is truly one of the most highly-rated African talent playing in Italy, and a price tag of £66million has been slapped on his head. That would make him a bit of an expensive signing if we decide to go down that route.
While there have been no signs that Thomas Tuchel could look towards signing a centre-forward, it is always good to be updated just in case something comes up. Romelu Lukaku seems like he is over the controversy that arose from his recent interview, but things could always take a turn for the worse since football has a way of surprising people.
Osimhen to Chelsea?
The Italian side got the better of the West London club when they initially signed the 23-year-old from Lille for €70 million, without bonuses, in 2020. Since then, he has made 44 appearances in Italy while scoring 19 goals and assisting five times in the process.
With Lukaku and Timo Werner in our squad, we are not really desperate for strikers, plus Kai Havertz can also be utilised in that role. Cristian Pulisic and Mason Mount have played further up and centrally this season, which further brings to light how there is no urgent need for any additions in the frontline.
But then again, football is dynamic. Teams are dynamic, and players move from one club to the other all the time. It is how an English giant like Manchester City have often found themselves with just Gabriel Jesus as a natural striker recently despite having resources at their disposal- and also how they have sold Ferran Torres, a player who deputized as a false 9 for them, to Barcelona.
So, Chelsea can never really sit relaxed about the future. Werner is clearly behind Lukaku in the pecking order, which is why we splashed the cash to bring in the ex-Manchester United striker back to Stamford Bridge this summer. And turning 29 in May, it’s not like Lukaku has all the time left in the world to keep playing at the very top level.
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As such, even if the asking price seems a tad expensive at the moment, the Nigerian international is bound to repay it in the future if he keeps developing in the same trajectory. He is also yet to reach his full potential and those who have watched him would appreciate how his ability to score as well as create up front is a bane for teams in modern-day football.
Having lost Tammy Abraham in the summer, it’s not unreasonable for us to sign Osimhen, but before that, we would be wise if we could address the issue of depth in our midfield and defence. Some of our first-team players in those positions are ageing and we have a couple of contracts to look into if we want to retain some of our stars.