Chelsea edge ahead of Manchester United in race to sign Victor Osimhen after Napoli show interest in 24-year-old Blues star: Reports
Chelsea have reportedly pipped their Premier League rivals Manchester United in the hunt for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.
As reported by The Daily Mail, the Blues sit in the driver's seat for the signature of the red-hot Nigerian international due to Napoli's interest in Christian Pulisic.
The recently-crowned Serie A champions are believed to be keen on signing the Chelsea winger, who has gone out of favor at Stamford Bridge.
Victor Osimhen has been one of the best players in Europe this season for Napoli, playing an integral role behind their Serie A triumph after 33 years.
The 24-year-old's exploits have not gone unnoticed with the attacker having interest from major clubs across Europe. Osimhen has scored 28 goals and provided five assists in 35 games across competitions for Luciano Spalletti's side this season.
Apart from the Blues, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), and Bayern Munich have also been strongly linked with the striker. However, Chelsea have a crucial advantage over the likes of Manchester United because of Napoli's interest in Pulisic.
Pulisic has not been at his best since joining the Blues from Borussia Dortmund for a fee of £58 million in 2019. The USA international has struggled to remain injury-free and has never been able to establish himself as a key player at the east London side.
He has had just 979 minutes of playing time across competitions this campaign, having scored just once and provided two assists.
The report also claims that Romelu Lukaku could also be used as a makeweight for a deal with Napoli for Osimhen. The Belgium international has also been a major flop at the club following his £97.5 million move from Inter Milan in 2021.
He was shipped back to the Nerazzurri last summer and has been underwhelming for the Serie A giants, scoring just 10 goals this campaign.
Chelsea plot £70 million move for Manchester United target this summer
Chelsea are reportedly ready to join Manchester United in the race to sign Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez with Mauricio Pochettino being a huge admirer.
According to Football Insider, Pochettino is a big fan of his compatriot and could launch a move for him if he takes charge at Stamford Bridge.
Martinez has been a key player for Inter Milan since 2018 following his move from Racing Club. The Argentinian international has scored 23 goals and provided 10 assists in 49 games across competitions this campaign.
Inter Milan are understood to be not willing to sell their star attacker but could consider it if their valuation of £70 million is matched.