- Chelsea are not believed to be interested in signing the Napoli star.
- Osimhen’s future is uncertain amid pre-season issues and interest from clubs
Napoli star Victor Osimhen could yet find himself in the Premier League despite Chelsea effectively ending their pursuit of the Nigerian as they push to sign Samu Omorodion.
Mail Sport has revealed that talks between Chelsea and Atletico Madrid are progressing for Omorodion, who will cost the Blues around £30m despite scoring just nine goals in 35 LaLiga appearances in a loan spell with Alaves.
The deal for Omorodion would be separate from Conor Gallagher’s move in the opposite direction, with the midfielder travelling to the Spanish capital to undergo a medical with Atletico Madrid ahead of a £33.7million transfer.
In recent windows, Chelsea had been heavily linked with a move for Osimhen, with a swap deal involving Romelu Lukaku plus cash circulating.
However, the Serie A side refused to budge on Osimhen’s £111m release clause.
Victor Osimhen faces an uncertain future at Napoli amid interest from Arsenal and PSG
Now that Chelsea have let Osimhen go, Sky Italia journalist Gianluca Di Marzio claims Arsenal could press ahead with a move for the Nigerian striker.
He Complaints Report The Gunners, along with Paris Saint-Germain and other Saudi Arabian clubs, are interested in Osimhen, who has scored 76 goals in 133 appearances for Napoli.
Despite the riches Saudi Arabia offers, the report claims Osimhen is not enthusiastic about the prospect of playing in the Middle East.
The 25-year-old has yet to feature in any pre-season matches for Napoli under new manager Antonio Conte, and it looks increasingly likely that his time in Italy will end sooner rather than later.
If Arsenal trigger Osimhen’s extortionate release clause, it would break the club’s record transfer fee just 12 months after they shelled out £105million for star midfielder Declan Rice.
The signing of Osimhen would also represent a significant statement of intent from Gunners manager Mikel Arteta as he looks to prevent Manchester City from winning a fifth consecutive Premier League title.
Osimhen has not played in pre-season under new Napoli coach Antonio Conte
Arteta may need more firepower to stop Manchester City from winning the Premier League title
Osimhen would also bring plenty of firepower to an Arsenal attack that has relied heavily on the contributions of star winger Bukayo Saka.
Arteta often used Kai Havertz, an attacking midfielder by trade, or Gabriel Jesus up front last season, but neither provided the goals needed to dethrone City.
