- EXCLUSIVE from Graeme Bailey
Paris Saint-Germain are increasingly confident that they will sign Chelsea’s number one striker target Victor Osimhen with the Premier League giants still pushing for a move for the Serie A champion.
HITC understands that Chelsea, who are prioritising a couple of headline-making attacking signings this summer following an inconsistent season in front of goal, have identified the man who fired Napoli to the Serie A title in 2023 as their leading striker target, ahead of Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres and Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez.
The expectation is that, after Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis sent Victor Osimhen‘s suitors running for the hills when demanding a fee in the region of £150 million last year, the Nigeria international will be on his way this time around.
Osimhen signed a new contract in December, but one that included a release clause much lower than the fee De Laurentiis wanted at the end of Napoli’s Scudetto-winning campaign. That clause, The Standard say, stands at £113 million.
Chelsea make Victor Osimhen their top striker target
Chelsea, then, may have to make Osimhen their third nine-figure addition in the Clearlake era, after Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.
HITC have been told, however, that Paris Saint-Germain are increasingly confident of snatching the powerhouse striker from under Chelsea’s nose, despite Mauricio Pochettino’s side spending the last 12 months trying to convince Osimhen to touch down at Stamford Bridge instead.
Chelsea are still pushing. But Osimhen, who made his name at PSG’s Ligue 1 rivals Lille before heading to Italy, could return to France instead.
“He has many clubs interested in him, such as PSG, Manchester United,” a hopeful John Obi Mikel said at March’s Web Summit Qatar, via Calciomercato. “But I am pushing, sending him messages. Trying to make sure that there is only one club in his mind; The Blues!”
“I am convinced that Victor wants to come to Chelsea,” adds the former Chelsea and Nigeria midfielder. “Obviously, he wants to follow in my footsteps and the Nigerian players who played for Chelsea, such as Victor Moses and Celestine Babayaro!
“And there’s also London, a fantastic city. There’s no comparison with Liverpool or places like that.”
PSG confident of Osimhen and Rafael Leao deals
Osimhen has scored only 15 goals in all competitions this season, however, with injuries, the African Cup of Notions and the struggles of a post-Luciano Spalletti Napoli as a whole limiting his tally.
He remains Chelsea’s number one target ahead of fellow Serie A marksman Lautaro Martinez, however, despite the Inter skipper boasting 11 more to his name.
The aforementioned Gyokeres, formerly of Coventry City, Swansea and Brighton and Hove Albion, has 36 himself in a staggering debut season in Portugal. Gyokeres also has a very sizeable release clause in his own contract.
“I’ve already told people close to me that I don’t understand how (there is) a player of Gyokeres’ quality (combined) with the physical power he has…” Fulham’s former Sporting enforcer Joao Palhinha tells O Jogo.
“I think would fit well into any England team.
“Sporting managed to sign him, and thank goodness because he has been an asset in every game. His performance has been very high in the Portuguese championship. And Sporting will certainly make a lot of money with him.”
PSG, meanwhile, are targeting another big-name forward also on The Blues’ summer wishlist.
Luis Enrique’s Champions League semi-finalists are leading Chelsea in the race for Milan winger Rafael Leao too. PSG believe that Leao, who loves to cut in from the left in a manner similar to that of Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, is the ideal partner for Osimhen in a new-look frontline shorn of the services of the Real Madrid-bound Kylian Mbappe.
Chelsea face Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday night.