Chelsea still exploring Victor Osimhen move despite Samu Omorodion agreement
Chelsea believe their pursuit of Atletico Madrid striker Samu Omorodion could ultimately aid their attempts to sign Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, 90min understands.
The Blues want a new striker this summer and are closing in on a deal for 20-year-old Samu, having secured an agreement with Atletico following negotiations which will take midfielder Conor Gallagher in the opposite direction in a separate transfer.
While Chelsea’s current focus is on securing Samu’s signature, sources have confirmed to 90min that talks over Osimhen are still ongoing and club officials do not feel as though it is one or the other. Indeed, there is even hope that signing Samu could help them land the Napoli forward.
Chelsea are already well-stocked at striker. Samu could join a group which already includes Nicolas Jackson – Enzo Maresca recently confirmed he sees the Senegal international as a centre-forward – and young Marc Guiu, and so they feel under very little pressure to agree to Napoli’s high demands for Osimhen. Conversely, Napoli want their striker’s wages off the books and Osimhen is also agitating for an exit, and Chelsea believe the pressure could soon be on the Serie A side to accept a lower offer or different structure.
Osimhen and his representatives are understood to have grown frustrated by Napoli’s focus on signing a new striker before granting him an exit and are now pushing for a permanent move away. Chelsea, while their interest is no secret, have not yet shown a concrete commitment to signing Osimhen permanently, at least in this current window.
90min recently reported that Napoli are prepared to drop that asking price down to £70m if a deal includes Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku, who is Napoli’s top target to replace Osimhen and valued at £37m by Chelsea.
While Chelsea want to offload Lukaku and would happily use the 31-year-old in a deal for Osimhen, they remain reluctant to meet Napoli’s demands and are currently exploring a loan move. Osimhen’s agent recently insisted such an agreement would be difficult but sources do not see it as impossible.
Napoli want Lukaku to replace Osimhen / Soccrates Images/GettyImages
As the transfer window nears its conclusion, Chelsea hope Osimhen’s representatives could soften their stance on a loan move, particularly if it included an obligation related to on-pitch performance, while they also believe Napoli may lower their demands and show an urgency to add Lukaku to the squad for the start of the new Serie A season.
One potential dilemma for Chelsea is interest in Osimhen from Paris Saint-Germain, who have already agreed personal terms with the 25-year-old. Should Napoli show a willingness to lower their demands for Chelsea, PSG would explore a deal of their own, although the French side are at a disadvantage because they do not have Lukaku as a makeweight.
Reports elsewhere have claimed Chelsea will not break their wage structure to sign Osimhen, but 90min understands the Blues would be happy to pay a big salary providing the structure is in keeping with Chelsea’s incentive-driven pay-scale.
Chelsea’s salary proposals revolve around a lower base wage in seasons without Champions League League and with performance-related bonuses to increase player earnings over time. Any new signing would have to buy into that wage structure.
Personal terms are almost agreed in principle with Samu, who is expected to move, but Osimhen’s future will not be decided so easily, and Chelsea are prepared to play a waiting game as they eye an audacious double swoop in attack.
Source: 90mins
