Sources: Chelsea now consider Victor Osimhen deal ‘financially impossible’
Chelsea are shrinking in confidence about their chances of signing Napoli star Victor Osimhen this summer, sources have told Football Insider.
The top priority for the Blues this summer is bringing in a marquee striker to lead the line at Stamford Bridge, and the 24-year-old had been a top target for the London club.
But Napoli have placed a price tag of over £100million on their star forward, and Chelsea’s financial issues have made a deal extremely difficult to complete.
Football Insider sources revealed on Saturday (22 April) that Chelsea’s bid for Brazilian striker Vitor Roque is also at risk of being derailed by FFP issues.
After spending over £600million in two windows under new owner Todd Boehly, the Premier League club are set to have their spending limited in the summer by Financial Fair Play regulations which could make a deal for Osimhen financially impossible.
Chelsea would therefore have to make a number of sales in the summer to raise funds in order to table a reasonable bid for Osimhen.
The London giants are also set to miss out on Champions League qualification this season which will weaken their bid to sign the Nigerian international.
Osimhen has been one of the most productive strikers across Europe this season, scoring 26 goals in 31 appearances for Napoli across all competitions.
Napoli are on track to win the Serie A title this season with eight games remaining in the campaign. The Naples side are the top scorers in Italy and Osimhen leads the race for the league’s Golden Boot with 21 league goals.
It is understood that Chelsea don’t want to completely drop out of the race for Osimhen and will reignite their bid if they raise enough money through player sales, although the club currently consider it unlikely.
In other news, Inter Milan pull plug on deal for Chelsea star