Chelsea have been handed a boost in their bid to sign Victor Osimhen as Napoli interest in a second Blues star has emerged.
Chelsea have already signed Marc Guiu from Barcelona to compete with Nicolas Jackson for a starting spot up front, while Samu Omorodion is on the verge of a £35m move from Atletico Madrid to give Enzo Maresca a further option.
But the Blues remain keen on adding an experienced goalscorer to the squad ahead of the new season and Osimhen remains their top target.
Napoli’s €100m asking price for Osimhen is a sticking point in negotiations as Chelsea look to comply with Premier League profit and sustainability rules, and they’ve been attempting to use Romelu Lukaku as a make weight in the deal.
The Blues want £38m for the Belgian and had been hoping Napoli would agree to allowing Osimhen to leave on loan as part of that deal.
Lukaku is desperate to reunite with former boss Antonio Conte in Naples and is pushing for the transfer, but the two clubs are at an impasse.
Osimhen’s agent Roberto Calenda claimed last month that these were ‘fantasy exchanges’ between Napoli and Chelsea, but first The Athletic’s David Ornstein and now Fabrizio Romano have claimed negotiations continue.
The transfer expert revealed on Friday, Chelsea remain ‘keen’ but ‘only’ if the stance of both the player and the selling club change.
He wrote on X: ‘Osimhen plans to leave but NO intention to reduce salary/accept straight loan. Chelsea still keen ONLY in case deal conditions/Osimhen’s stance change… as Napoli insist for Lukaku.’
And a report in Italy has offered Chelsea hope, claiming Conte is also interested in signing Kepa Arrizabalaga this summer.
Kepa – signed for €80m from Athletic Bilbao in 2018 – spent last season on loan at Real Madrid, but Los Blancs decided not to make his move permanent and Chelsea are desperately trying to find a buyer for the 29-year-old after they signed Filip Jorgensen from Villarreal this summer.
The goalkeeper doesn’t hold much value to Chelsea with just 12 months remaining on his deal, but interest from Napoli will at the very least strengthen their working relationship with the Italian side.
If signed, Osimhen will be playing alongside Pedro Neto at Stamford Bridge next season after Chelsea agreed a €63m fee with Wolves for the winger.
Tottenham, Manchester City and Arsenal had looked the most likely sides to pursue a move for Neto this summer, with Chelsea seemingly coming out of nowhere to secure his signature.
Fabrizio Romano wrote on X: ‘Pedro Neto to Chelsea, here we go! Wolves accept bid worth €60m fixed fee plus €3m add-ons as almost matches initial price tag. Neto’s agent Mendes has agreed on personal terms with Chelsea. Medical tests booked for Pedro at #CFC with Wolves keen on Ajax’s Carlos Forbes.
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