Napoli, Osimhen and Chelsea still in talks for a potential deal

Napoli continues to “work” on either finalizing Victor Osimhen’s departure or retaining him, according to the club’s sporting director, Giovanni Manna.

Osimhen, who has scored 76 goals for Napoli since joining from Lille in 2020, has yet to feature in the team’s first two games of the season as he seeks a transfer.

Chelsea remains persistent in pursuing Osimhen on loan, despite Napoli’s stance that the striker’s departure will be “blocked.”

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano (via Chelsea News) reports that Chelsea is insistent on a loan deal to bolster their squad with a prolific forward.

Osimhen had previously expressed his desire to leave Napoli during the current transfer window.

The Standard reports that Napoli plans to prevent their star forward from leaving this summer.

Sporting director Giovanni Manna recently told Sky Sports Italia, “Victor is an important player with significant value. His desire to leave is clear. We are trying to maintain squad integrity at this time. We are not alone in this situation, and we’ll see how things develop over the next 10 days.

“It is not appropriate to speculate about current feelings. We are working with his representatives to find the best solution. As he is an important player, replacing him is not straightforward. He is under contract for two more seasons, so if no solution is reached by August 30, we will need to discuss the matter with the player.”

The report also mentions that Paris Saint-Germain has withdrawn from the race for Osimhen, giving Chelsea a significant advantage.

While pursuing Osimhen, Chelsea is also in talks with Napoli to offload Romelu Lukaku, a £100m signing who has not met expectations, with the aim of handling that deal separately from the Osimhen transfer.

Chelsea’s need for a clinical forward was highlighted in their 2-0 loss to Manchester City in their Premier League opener. They will next face Servette in the first leg of the Europa Conference League play-off.