Chelsea identify 24-year-old striker as top target; player open to the move: Reports
Chelsea are reportedly set to make Napoli's Victor Osimhen their top transfer target whenever they enter the market for a new center-forward.
The Nigeria international, as per the Telegraph, is expected to have an asking price of over £100 million. He could even cost the Blues more than the £106.8 million they paid to sign Enzo Fernandez from SL Benfica in January this year.
The report states that Chelsea would be his preferred destination if he were to leave Napoli in the future. His current deal at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium expires in the summer of 2025.
The Blues signed Nicolas Jackson (22) from Villarreal this summer. He has scored seven goals in 15 games across competitions this season, but three of those came in a 4-1 league win against nine-men Tottenham Hotspur.
Armando Broja, meanwhile, has failed to capture the imagination since a promising loan spell at Southampton. Injuries have prevented the Albania international from getting a consistent run of games, with the 22-year-old playing just 146 minutes during the current campaign.
Osimhen, meanwhile, is a proven goal-getter. The 24-year-old center-forward has plundered 65 goals and provided 16 assists in 112 games for Napoli since joining them from Lille for a potential £70 million fee.
Osimhen, who has 20 goals in 27 senior appearances for Nigeria, scored 26 times in 32 league games to help Napoli win the Serie A last season.
Chelsea beaten by Newcastle United in their latest Premier League game
Newcastle United beat Chelsea by a comprehensive 4-1 scoreline when the two teams met in the Premier League on Saturday (25 November).
The Blues came into the game on the back of scoring four goals each against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City. But Raheem Sterling's neatly-struck 27th-minute free-kick, which canceled out Alexander Isak's opener, was all they could manage against the Magpies.
Jamaal Lascelles put his team in front at the hour mark before a Thiago Silva error led to Newcastle's third goal of the game just a few seconds later. Reece James was sent off for a second yellow card in the 73rd minute before Anthony Gordon put the icing on the cake for Eddie Howe's side seven minutes from time.
Chelsea sit 11th in the Premier League with 16 points from 13 matches. Their next assignment is a home league game against Brighton & Hove Albion on 3 December — a team they have beaten just once in their last six meetings.