Victor Osimhen is still understood to be prioritising a move to the Premier League this summer.
Sources close to CaughtOffside have confirmed that the Blues remain in contact with his agent over personal terms and talks are progressing well. Enzo Maresca’s outfit considers the Nigerian a main target and would be keen on including some players in a prospective deal with Napoli in order to lower the asking price. Ideally, they are hoping to spend less than £45m for a new striker.
Talks are ongoing between the two clubs over a difference in valuation for Romelu Lukaku (around £8.4m). As the days pass, however, the distance between the two could reduce drastically.
Napoli are also understood to have discussed the possibility of landing various Chelsea stars. Trevoh Chalobah is not under consideration (the Serie A outfit is finalising agreements with other centre-backs). Likewise, Armando Broja is not of interest. Antonio Conte’s side is, however, a big fan of Italian midfielder Cesare Casadei, and they consider the 21-year-old a possible replacement for Piotr Zielinski. Chelsea value Cesare at around £12.6-16.8m.
What to expect from discussions between Napoli and Chelsea?
Between potential sales of Romelu Lukaku (potentially around £21-25.2m) and Casedei (£12.6-16.8m), Chelsea could have as much as £40m to play with, plus the £45m budget set aside for a new striker. A fitting total with Napoli, according to sources close to the club, said to be ready to reduce their asking price for Osimhen to £84.2m.
A new meeting between the two clubs has been planned for the weekend with the outfits set to discuss a multitude of topics and players, in addition to trying to find a way forward in talks to bring the No.9 to London.
Meanwhile, it’s important to note that the forward has never been considered a concrete option for PSG. This is because the Ligue 1 champions are looking for a winger. Indeed, steps are being made for Manchester United’s Jadon Sancho.
