Napoli confirm Victor Osimhen’s desire to leave amid Chelsea interest

Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna has confirmed that star striker Victor Osimhen has asked to leave the club this summer.

This news comes as a major development for Chelsea who have been long-term admirers of the Nigerian forward. Despite nearing a deal for Atletico Madrid’s Samu Omorodion, the Blues are still exploring the possibility of bringing Osimhen to Stamford Bridge.

Osimhen’s desire to move also attracted attention from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), who have agreed to personal terms with the player.

But, they have baulked at Napoli’s steep asking price of over £100 million. This situation has left Osimhen out of Napoli’s squad for their first competitive match of the season.

Manna addressed the situation by saying:

“Victor is a player who wants to leave. He has asked to go. Last year there was already a situation in place, we are calm because we have guys in the squad to replace him. Osimhen is a strong player but we want to give integrity to the group and we prefer to protect the creation of the team group. Then we will see what happens in the next 20 days.”

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Chelsea’s approach for Victor Osimhen

Chelsea are playing the patient game at the moment. They are hesitant to meet Napoli’s high demands and are exploring the possibility of securing Osimhen on an initial loan deal. But, Osimhen’s representatives are pushing for a permanent move, which complicates the situation.

Adding a twist to the tale, Napoli manager Antonio Conte is reportedly keen on bringing Romelu Lukaku back to Serie A as a replacement for Osimhen.

Lukaku who is currently with Chelsea could be available for a fee of £37 million. This has given Chelsea a potential bargaining chip as they hope Conte’s interest in Lukaku might lead Napoli to lower their demands for Osimhen.

Manna hinted at the possibility of new arrivals, but remained non-committal, saying,

“Lukaku is a Chelsea player and with [Giacomo] Raspadori and others in the squad we are calm. An offensive player could arrive but it is not certain that it will be Lukaku. We will be ready to take advantage of any opportunities.”

With the transfer window still open, Chelsea are in no rush to meet Napoli’s demands.

Instead, they are prepared to wait and see if tensions between Osimhen and Napoli along with Conte’s pursuit of Lukaku might work in their favor. As the days go by, the future of Victor Osimhen remains one of the summer’s biggest talking points.