I’ve faced many top-class strikers – Chelsea will have the two toughest if huge deal goes ahead

There are discussions taking on between Chelsea and Napoli regarding a potential transfer for Victor Osimhen. If Chelsea is successful in acquiring him, they would have two of the most formidable strikers that Italian football has seen in recent years.

It is possible that Chelsea may end up with two of the “toughest” strikers in Italian football on their roster this summer (Image: AFP / Getty Images).()

As far as the Napoli defender Alessandro Buongiorno is concerned, if Chelsea were to sign Victor Osimhen, they would have two of the most formidable strikers in the world on their roster. At least, that is what Buongiorno believes.

The Blues have been looking for centre forwards during the entire summer, and it looked that they have limited their search down to Osimhen and Samu Omorodion, a young player for Atletico Madrid with a promising future. In the event that Atletico Madrid, who are on the approach of reaching an agreement for a separate deal for Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher, are successful in completing the signing of Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez, it is anticipated that a deal for thirty-five million pounds will be finalised for the latter player’s transfer.

On the other hand, it is believed that Chelsea may end up acquiring Osimhen, who is 25 years old, as well, as negotiations with Napoli regarding a blockbuster £84 million transfer are now taking place. It was asked of Buongiorno to name the most difficult centre forwards he had ever faced, and he responded by naming Osimhen and Romelu Lukaku. Buongiorno’s transfer from Torino to Napoli, which was revealed last month, cost thirty million pounds.

“Victor [Osimhen] was definitely tough,” Buongiorno wrote in an interview with Football Italia. All of us are aware of his quickness, and it was quite challenging to keep track of him. Due to the fact that Lukaku is so large, man-marking him was also a really challenging task.

It’s always going to be challenging since there are so many powerful strikers. You have to devote a lot of time to studying them, observing their movements, and figuring out how their teammates like to pass the ball to them.

Lukaku, who is 31 years old and has not played for Chelsea since 2022, is still a member of the club’s roster, despite the fact that it is anticipated that he will leave the club permanently this summer. After managing Lukaku at Inter Milan, Antonio Conte, the manager of Napoli, is anxious to get back again with the Belgian player. However, Conte will only be able to sign Lukaku if Osimhen leaves the club instead.

The Nigerian international, who has scored 76 goals in 133 games for Napoli, is amenable to this arrangement; however, Chelsea and PSG are hesitant to agree to his asking price. It is believed that Chelsea has considered the possibility of a loan transfer with an option to purchase clause. However, Osimhen, who is concerned about his future, is not particularly enthusiastic about this structure.

An additional alternative for the London club is to incorporate Lukaku into a player-plus-cash transaction for the former Lille striker. However, Chelsea would prefer to sell the £98m man separately due to their precarious PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules) situation.

Additionally, Osimhen’s wage demands could serve as a significant impediment. He is purportedly hesitant to accept a pay reduction, as his salary reportedly increased to £295,000 per week as a result of the substantial contract he signed in December.

This implies that Chelsea would be required to violate their rigorous wage structure in order to acquire the player. In order to provide context, only three Blues players (Raheem Sterling, Lukaku, and Reece James) are currently earning more than £200,000 per week, and each of these contracts was executed prior to the wage structure revision.

The situation is left with a somewhat open-ended nature. Osimhen and Napoli have mutually agreed to part ways; however, they will only do so under suitable circumstances. In the interim, Chelsea are in a state of panic as they attempt to offload Lukaku; however, they will require a new client if Osimhen remains at Napoli.