Chelsea willing to offer Napoli Romelu Lukaku and Cesare Casadei in return for Victor Osimhen is a good thing
According to a report from CaughtOffside, Chelsea are looking to sign Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen from Napoli and are willing to offer the Serie A club Romelu Lukaku and Cesare Casadei in return.
Both Chelsea and Napoli go into the new season with new coaches and new objectives. Some things don’t change, however, like Chelsea needing a good striker and Antonio Conte wanting the Belgium international.
With that in mind, let’s take a brief look at why Chelsea willing to let go of Casadei and Lukaku is a good sign.
Letting go of the outcasts
Osimhen’s last contract extension was an agreement that served both him and Napoli; getting ever closer to an exit with each passing year, the deal ensured Osimhen got a big club at a reasonably opportune time with Napoli getting a hefty fee for him in return.
The time has come. And Chelsea will not have a better opportunity to make a play, especially while Antonio Conte is in Naples. The Italian coach is probably one of the few people who find themselves attracted to Lukaku and his services like a magnet.
Indeed, Lukaku is a very specific profile of player that differs heavily from the “bulky target man” role he is often typecast into. There is, after all, a reason he never really worked out for Chelsea over two different stints but managed to perform quite brilliantly for the likes of Conte and José Mourinho, the latter of whom he worked with a second time at Roma last year, while with Conte he was at the peak of his career when he won the Serie A at Inter.
And Conte wants him again. This gives Chelsea the perfect opportunity to let go of a depreciating asset in Lukaku once and for all while adding Casadei, who despite making a few appearances last season has so far left a lot to be desired at Stamford Bridge, as a sweetener in return for Osimhen, who is arguably one of the most lethal strikers in world football right now.
Not many forwards can say they have succeeded at Chelsea. Sure, Fernando Torres and Timo Werner won the Champions League as Blue, but they never had the legacies left by Didier Drogba and even Diego Costa. Osimhen is a complete package who can not only be expected to fit the Premier League’s arduous requirements but also break the Chelsea curse.
New coach Enzo Maresca needs all the help he can get if he is to see a second season await him on the other side of this season at the club. Chelsea, ever in need of goal-scoring solutions, were particularly dry on that front last season despite the brilliance of Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson, both of whom could just as well play alongside someone like Osimhen and further boost Chelsea’s strength going forward.
Conclusion
Chelsea need a striker and badly so. Osimhen is one of the best strikers out there right now. In Lukaku and Casadei (the latter having been in the Inter academy setup while Conte was there) they have two options they can offer the Napoli coach and put themselves ahead in contention for the Nigerian’s signature.
Chelsea are also not shy from spending and spending big. With the kind of money they spent for the likes of Moisés Caicedo and Enzo Fernández last year, one can almost expect them to offer happily whatever money Napoli would demand on top of Lukaku and Casadei as makeweights.
More Chelsea News
- Chelsea star wanted by Saudi Arabian giants in move that could help Blues financially
- Chelsea eye Champions League finalist’s signing as priority this summer
- Jose Mourinho seeks reunion with Chelsea superstar at Fenerbahce
That Chelsea are willing to let go of the two is a good start, and for the sake of the Blues fanbase, one hopes they manage to pull the Osimhen transfer through.
