Chelsea Transfer News Roundup: Blues plan €130m Victor Osimhen offer, Conor Gallagher stay on the cards, and more - February 17, 2024
Chelsea are putting together final preparations ahead of their trip to the Etihad on Saturday (February 17) to face Manchester City in the Premier League. Mauricio Pochettino’s team are 10th in the league after 24 games, with 10 wins and 10 defeats.
Meanwhile, the Blues are willing to trigger Victor Osimhen’s €130m release clause this summer. Elsewhere, Conor Gallaher could end up staying at Stamford Bridge.
On that note, let’s take a look at the major Chelsea transfer news from February 17, 2024.
Chelsea plan €130m Victor Osimhen offer
Chelsea are ready to exercise Victor Osimhen’s release clause at the end of this season, according to journalist Rudy Galetti. The Nigerian striker is a wanted man ahead of the summer, despite only signing a new deal with Napoli last December. Osimhen powered the club to the Serie A title last season, turning heads at Stamford Bridge.
The London giants are looking for an established No. 9 this year and have made the 25-year-old their top target. There’s considerable interest in Osimhen, with Arsenal and Paris Sain-Germain (PSG) also in the race, as per reports. However, the Blues are hoping to beat the competition by triggering the player’s €130m release clause. Chelsea will approach the Italian club soon to initiate talks regarding the payment structure.
Conor Gallagher stay on the cards
Chelsea could tie Conor Gallagher down to a new deal this year, according to transfer insider Liam Twomey. The English midfielder is now a first-team regular under Mauricio Pochettino, registering three goals and six assists from 32 appearances this season. However, the player’s future is up in the air, with his contract set to expire in less than 18 months.
In his column for Caught Offside, Twomey pointed out that the Blues are yet to offer Gallagher a new contract.
“There is a significant chance an agreement is reached for Gallagher to extend his contract. But there is also no movement towards that outcome and no new offer on the table for him to consider,” wrote Twomey.
Tottenham Hotspur are interested in the 24-year-old, as per multiple reports.
Antonio Conte wanted Romelu Lukaku and Virgil van Dijk at Stamford Bridge
Antonio Conte has revealed that he wanted to sign Romelu Lukaku and Virgil van Dijk during his time at Chelsea. The Italian manager took charge at Stamford Bridge in July 2016 and guided the club to a Premier League triumph in his first season. He won the FA Cup the following campaign, and eventually left the Blues in the summer of 2018.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Conte claimed that the London giants could have achieved greater things if he had landed his top two targets.
“It’s not easy. Guardiola is the best coach in the world. And then when you can match the best coach in the world with a club that can back you and can invest to bring in important players to improve the team every season because they want to stay at the top of the world, then it is very, very difficult to compete at the same level,” said Conte.
He continued:
“My history says that I always arrived at my clubs in a difficult situation with problems. I always build. After my first season at Chelsea, when we won the title, we could have become dominant in England. We spoke with Lukaku and Van Dijk, and with those two important players we could have changed the situation.”
Lukaku joined Manchester United in the summer of 2017, while Van Dijk moved to Liverpool a year later.