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Chelsea transfer news: Blues interested in Napoli striker Victor Osimhen but Romelu Lukaku leaves elsewhere | Football News

Chelsea are interested in signing Napoli striker Victor Osimhen as talks continue over Romelu Lukaku’s departure; Napoli boss Antonio Conte wants to sign Lukaku; Atletico Madrid remain in talks with Chelsea over a possible deal for Conor Gallagher and Spurs are also expected to make an offer

By Kaveh Solhekol, Chief Reporter, Sky Sports News


16:05, UK, Tuesday 30 July 2024

Chelsea are interested in signing Victor Osimhen from Napoli as negotiations for Romelu Lukaku continue and head in the opposite direction.

The magnitude of the fees involved had put Chelsea off signing Osimhen earlier in the window, but a potential deal could be revived as the clubs continue discussions over bringing Lukaku to the Serie A side.

The departure of the Belgian international would free up a considerable amount of money in Chelsea’s wage bill, although a deal for Osimhen remains elusive but has not been ruled out.

Discussions have centred on Lukaku’s permanent transfer to Napoli, while the possibility of Osimhen moving to Chelsea, either permanently or on an initial loan with an obligation to buy, has been mooted.

The latter currently seems a more realistic option as far as Chelsea are concerned.

However, Osimhen’s agent Roberto Calenda has been quoted on social media in recent hours saying that a simple player swap is “a fantasy… as if he were a player who needs to be delivered quickly.”

Napoli are keen to reach an agreement with the Nigeria international after he signed a new contract in December which included a significant pay rise and a release clause worth more than £100m.

Napoli cannot afford a scenario where they buy Lukaku and still have the prospect of Osimhen returning after a loan.



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Napoli coach Antonio Conte (right) wants to meet with Romelu Lukaku

For Napoli to consider any sort of move, there would need to be a guarantee that Osimhen would move on a permanent basis, both from a transfer fee and salary perspective.

Osimhen is understood to be earning more money than Lukaku – €10m (£8.4m) a year compared to Lukaku’s €7m (£5.9m).

The 25-year-old has scored 76 goals in 133 appearances for the Italian side since joining from Lille in July 2020.

PSG They are still interested in Osimhen, but at the moment they do not have any agreement with Napoli. There are also strong Saudi Arabia interest – but it is believed that he does not want to take that step at this stage of his career.



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Could Victor Osmihen (left) leave for Chelsea and Romelu Lukaku head in the opposite direction to join Napoli?

Ideally he would play in the Champions League, but it is believed that he would be very open to signing for the Premier League and Chelsea.

Osimhen and Lukaku are training away from the rest of their respective teams amid uncertainty over their futures.

New Napoli coach Antonio Conte is keen to sign Lukaku, whom he managed for two seasons at Inter Milan.

The 31-year-old, who joined Chelsea in August 2021 for £97.5million, spent last season on loan at Roma and scored 21 goals in 47 games in all competitions.

Atletico Madrid are negotiating with Gallagher



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Conor Gallagher is of interest to Atletico Madrid, Tottenham and Aston Villa this summer

Atletico Madrid He remains in talks with Chelsea over a possible deal Conor Gallagher.

There remains a considerable gap in valuation between the clubs, with the LaLiga side hoping to negotiate Chelsea’s £40m demands.

Atletico received a £30m offer that was rejected early in the transfer market and remain interested in signing him.

Tottenham Manchester United are also expected to make a bid for the England international. Ange Postecoglou’s side have a long-term interest in the 24-year-old and tried to sign him last summer.

Aston Villa They have also expressed interest in Gallagher, who will soon return from his post-Euro holiday.

Cause for concern? Problems off the pitch and on it for Chelsea



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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has seen two disappointing performances from his side so far in pre-season.

Placing too much stock in pre-season results is a perennial trap that must be avoided. But while alarm bells are not ringing at Chelsea just yet, their performances on the American tour so far will have many fans concerned that a summer of turmoil off the pitch has brought more problems on it.

New boss Enzo Maresca shrugged and said his side were “going to concede goals” with the come-from-the-back style of play he is trying to impose after defensive errors saw Chelsea struggle to a 2-2 draw with League One side Wrexham in their first outing in America.

But allowing four goals against Celtic was probably beyond their acceptable limit.

In both games, with all the precautions of pre-season in place, Chelsea looked open, insecure and error-prone. Whether it was Wrexham or Celtic’s forwards, there were repeatedly spaces at the back to exploit, or Chelsea’s defenders passed the ball back to the opposition in dangerous areas.

Read Pete Smith’s article on Chelsea’s troubled pre-season here.

When does the summer transfer window open and close?

He 2024 Summer Transfer Window officially closes on 30 August at 23:00 UK time in the Premier League and 23:30 in Scotland.

The Premier League has brought forward the deadline for joining Europe’s other major leagues. The deadlines were set following talks with leagues in England, Germany, Italy, Spain and France.