Chelsea are interested in signing Napoli striker Victor Osimhen but talks are ongoing for Romelu Lukaku, with Napoli manager Antonio Conte preferring to sign him. Atletico Madrid are in talks with Chelsea over the potential signing of Conor Gallagher and Tottenham are also expected to make an offer.
By Kaveh Solhekol, Chief Reporter, Sky Sports News
Tuesday 30 July 2024 16:05, UK
Chelsea are interested in signing Victor Osimhen from Napoli as talks over Romelu Lukaku continue.
Chelsea had given up on signing Osimhen earlier in the transfer window due to the high transfer fee, but the possibility of a deal could be rekindled as the two clubs continue talks over a Serie A move for Lukaku.
A move for the Belgium international would free up significant wage bill for Chelsea and while signing Osimhen remains difficult, the possibility has not been ruled out.
Discussions centre around Lukaku joining Napoli on a permanent basis and Osimhen joining Chelsea either on a permanent basis or on an initial loan deal with an obligation to buy.
For Chelsea, the latter seems the more realistic option at the moment.
However, Osimhen’s agent, Roberto Calenda, has been reported to have said on social media in recent hours that a simple player swap was “a fantasy… as if he is a player who can be moved on quickly”.
Napoli are keen to sign the Nigerian international after he signed a new contract in December which included a significant pay rise and a release clause of more than £100 million.
Napoli cannot afford a scenario in which they sign Lukaku and potentially see Osimhen return on loan.
Image: Napoli manager Antonio Conte (right) would love to be reunited with Romelu Lukaku
For Napoli to consider any sort of move they would need guarantees that Osimhen would be made permanent, both in terms of transfer fee and wages.
Osimhen is believed to have a higher annual salary than Lukaku, with Lukaku earning 7 million euros (£5.9 million) compared to Osimhen’s 10 million euros (£8.4 million).
The 25-year-old has made 133 appearances for the Italian side since his move from Lille in July 2020, scoring 76 goals.
PSG remain interested in Osimhen but are yet to reach an agreement with Napoli, while Saudi Arabia have also shown strong interest, but it is believed Osimhen does not want to move at this stage in his career.
Pictured: Could Victor Osmihen (left) go to Chelsea and Romelu Lukaku make the opposite move to Napoli?
Ideally, he would like to play in the Champions League but is also thought to be very open to a move to the Premier League or Chelsea.
Osimhen and Lukaku have been training away from the rest of their respective teams amid uncertainty over their futures.
Napoli’s new manager Antonio Conte is keen to sign Lukaku, who spent two seasons in charge at Inter Milan.
The 31-year-old joined Chelsea for £97.5m in August 2021 and spent last season on loan at Roma, scoring 21 goals in 47 appearances in all competitions.
Atletico Madrid in talks to sign Gallagher
Image: Conor Gallagher is interested in Atletico Madrid, Tottenham and Aston Villa this summer
Atletico Madrid are continuing talks with Chelsea over the potential signing of Conor Gallagher.
There remains a large valuation gap between the two clubs, with the La Liga side hoping to negotiate down Chelsea’s £40 million demand.
Atletico remain keen to sign him having had a £30m bid rejected earlier in the transfer window.
Tottenham are also believed to be keen to make an bid for the England international, with Ange Postecoglou’s side maintaining a long-term interest in the 24-year-old and having tried to sign him last summer.
Aston Villa are also interested in Gallagher, who is due to return shortly from his post-Euro break.
Cause for concern? Chelsea’s off-field chaos and on-pitch problems
Picture: Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has seen his team perform disappointingly in their two pre-season matches so far.
Placing too much emphasis on pre-season results is a perennial trap to avoid, but while the alarm bells may not be ringing for Chelsea just yet, their performance on the US tour so far will have many fans worried that a summer of off-field turmoil has led to further problems on the pitch.
New manager Enzo Maresca shrugged and said “we will concede goals” with the style of play he is trying to impose from the back after defensive errors cost Chelsea a 2-2 draw at League One side Wrexham in their opening game in the United States.
However, conceding four goals against Celtic was probably more than he could tolerate.
In both games, with all the pre-season caveats in place, Chelsea looked open, unsure and error-prone. Time and again, either Wrexham’s or Celtic’s forwards found space in behind them to exploit, or Chelsea’s defenders simply gave the ball back to their opponents in dangerous areas.
Read Pete Smith’s feature on Chelsea’s struggling pre-season here.
When does the summer transfer window start and end?
The 2024 summer transfer window officially closes at 11pm BST on 30 August in the Premier League and 11.30pm in Scotland.
The Premier League brought forward the deadline to align itself with other major European leagues. The date was set following consultation with the leagues in England, Germany, Italy, Spain and France.