Chelsea Agree £25m Sale Of Lukaku To Napoli Ahead Of Victor Osimhen Move
LAGOS AUGUST 25TH (NEWSRANGERS)-Chelsea and Napoli have reached a verbal agreement over the transfer of Romelu Lukaku, in a deal that could finally open the door for the Premier League club to make a move for Victor Osimhen.
Osimhen is a long-term target for Chelsea and Lukaku’s imminent exit, in a deal worth an initial £25 million, would allow them to put their transfer plans into motion as they look to strengthen their squad with a new centre-forward.
Enzo Maresca, the Chelsea head coach, had said that the club will attempt to sign a “nine” before the end of the summer transfer window. “If we have the chance to bring in a nine that can help us and make the difference, then we are going to try,” Maresca said.
Osimhen’s future has been the subject of continued speculation for months, with the 25-year-old now in the final two years of his contract at Napoli.
Telegraph Sport reported in November last year that Osimhen was Chelsea’s top target for the centre-forward position and that is understood to remain the case as the transfer window approaches its final days.
Osimhen has scored 48 goals in all competitions in his last two campaigns at Napoli, and is widely regarded as one of the leading strikers in world football. In the 2022/23 season, the 25-year-old played a key role in Napoli winning their first Serie A title in 33 years.
Talks over Lukaku, who is not part of Maresca’s plans, reached a positive conclusion on Friday evening. Lukaku has spent the last two seasons on loan in Italy, at Inter Milan and Roma, and has not been training with Chelsea’s first-team squad this summer.
Earlier this summer, Cheslea attempted to sign another powerful centre-forward in Atlético Madrid’s Samu Omorodion, before the proposed deal collapsed. Chelsea instead signed Atletico’s João Félix, who can operate as a striker but has spent most of his career as an attacking midfielder or wide player.
Maresca has said Félix will be physically ready to play against Wolves in the Premier League on Sunday.
“In terms of knowing the way we want to play? Probably not yet,” said Maresca. “In terms of physicality? I think he is ready because he was already playing games there [at Atletico Madrid]. He needs more time to understand the way we want to play but overall I think he can play.
“For me, he can do that [No 9 role] fantastically, dropping in and giving us an extra man when we need more passes, more possession. Then, to find the right moment to attack, he can do that very well.
“He can play as an attacking midfielder, if we need. He can play also outside. He can play in different positions.”
The Telegraph
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Posted by News Rangers
on Aug 25 2024. Filed under National, Sports.
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