Chelsea have seemingly been given a transfer boost in their pursuit of signing Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, days after holding “positive” talks with the striker’s entourage.
Chelsea eyeing Victor Osimhen move
A new forward appears to be at the top of Mauricio Pochettino’s wishlist in 2024, with the club currently having Nicolas Jackson as their senior striker after a summer move last year.
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The Senegal international has netted eight times in all competitions and is the club’s joint top scorer and Pochettino recently gave his thoughts on Jackson’s form this season, saying after the defeat to Wolves:
“It is always about expectation, how you manage expectation and set the expectation. If we compare Jackson to different strikers that arrive at his age to a new league, he is scoring goals when you look at his performances.
“It is not about blaming him. I think you can accept the frustration from the fans: when we don’t score, it is about the offensive players. But, my advice is to blame them all together because football is a team sport, a collective sport, we cannot blame only one. But in this case, he is young, in the Premier League, the expectation is massive and we are Chelsea. At Chelsea, there is pressure to play and deliver the best job possible.”
Osimhen has been heavily linked as the man who could come in and rival Jackson at Stamford Bridge, although both players are currently at the Africa Cup of Nations. Journalist Simon Phillips recently admitted that co-owner Behdad Eghbali held “positive” talks with the striker’s entourage, adding that they are looking at a way to make a move possible this month.
“I understand Chelsea have had contact with Osimhen’s entourage in recent weeks/days to discuss the possibility of the Napoli striker joining Chelsea. The feedback they have had is positive, with there being an understanding that Osimhen would be open to joining Chelsea.
“Behdad Eghbali has initiated this contact and now has good relations with Osimhen’s agent. Now, that doesn’t mean Chelsea are 100% signing Osimhen, and it doesn’t mean that he would also not be open to joining other clubs if they come in.
“But right now, Chelsea’s ownership are very keen to try and do something to get Osimhen in the door at Chelsea and one source has even said they are still looking for a way to try and make that happen this month.”
Osimhen open to Chelsea transfer
In a new update shared by sources close to The Daily Mail, Osimhen, who has a £103m release clause, is now ‘open to joining Chelsea’ in what comes as a boost for Pochettino and co. However, the report adds that a transfer is ‘more likely to gather pace in the summer’.
Hailed as a “world-class” striker by Folarin Balogun, Osimhen could well be on his way to London at some point in 2024, and it may not come as a major shock, especially considering former Blues boss Jose Mourinho has even spoken to the striker about a proposed Chelsea transfer.
The club may well look to make something happen for the Nigeria international this month following Phillips’ recent claim and the Mail saying ‘Chelsea’s need for a striker is immediate’, but if it isn’t in January, things are looking good for a summer switch instead.