Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has revealed that Victor Osimhen was “very, very close” to joining Chelsea this summer.
The Nigerian striker was heavily linked with a move to the Blues throughout the summer transfer window, with a move to the Premier League his “dream”, but the deal fell through on deadline day.
Osimhen, one of Europe’s most sought-after strikers, has left Napoli to join Turkish Super Lig side Galatasaray on a surprise season-long loan.
Reports suggested that the west London club were unable to reach an agreement with Osimhen due to his high wage demands. However, Mikel claims that such suggestions are categorically untrue.
Talking about the Obi One PodcastHe said: ‘I hear a lot of people saying this and that about Victor and how greedy he is, blah, blah, blah. ‘Take a pay cut and come to Chelsea’, blah, blah, blah, stuff like that.
Chelsea legend John Obi Mikel has declared that claims Victor Osimhen is greedy are ‘bullshit’
Victor Osimhen joined Galatasaray on loan after his permanent move to Chelsea fell through
“I know the guy. I know the boy. I just want to say that that’s not true at all. Victor is not a greedy guy. He’s not a greedy guy, he just wants to get what he deserves and that’s not a problem.”
During the window, it emerged that Osimhen was seeking a weekly salary of around £500,000, an exorbitant figure.
Although the Blues wanted to sign a striker, it was believed that they would not be able to reach such a high fee. But Mikel had a strong response to Osimhen’s alleged demands.
“No, he wasn’t looking for all this shit,” Mikel added. “I know what happened, I was in the middle of it all. So I can tell everyone that that’s definitely not true.”
“He just wants to play football and get what he deserves and that’s not a problem. A player who knows his worth and demands to be paid what he’s worth, that’s not a problem.”
Chelsea legend Mikel has previously revealed that due to his relationship with Osimhen, he was working with both parties to help make the transfer happen.
The friendship between the two began when Osimhen made his debut for the Nigerian national team in 2017, while Mikel was still captain.
Osimhen was reportedly seeking a weekly salary of around £500,000.
Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly was reluctant to shell out such a high salary despite admiring the striker.
With the Blues working hard to sign Osimhen on deadline day, the retired midfielder has revealed how close the club came to completing the transfer.
‘We were very, very close to closing this deal, but there were little issues, little hiccups that we just couldn’t fix.
“I know what the club offered him, we finally came to an agreement. Both sides had to come to an agreement. It was just a few small things here and there, paperwork, medical issues and some issues that we just couldn’t resolve.”
Behind the scenes, the work on the deal took its toll on Mikel, who apparently worked tirelessly to try to make the transfer happen.
“I was the guy who was in the middle of everything,” Mikel continued. “There were a couple of days where I didn’t sleep. Thursday I didn’t sleep. Friday I didn’t sleep.
‘I’m here in Dubai, it’s three or four hours time difference, so I have to wait for phone calls, I think in the middle of the night.
Mikel won 91 caps for Nigeria and was captain when Osimhen made his debut.
Osimhen has scored 22 goals for his country in just 36 appearances for them.
‘On Thursday I fell asleep around 4 in the morning because I was expecting a call from this side and a call from that side.’
Chelsea were not the only club interested in Osimhen during the summer. Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli submitted a £55m bid for his services, but the striker rejected the offer.
With options at his disposal, Osimhen had to make a decision, and Mikel claimed there was only one destination the striker truly wanted to go to.
‘I said we have to send someone to see Victor, and that will change the way he sees things, and then he will understand how much the club wants him to come.
The club sends someone to Naples to try and speak to Victor and his agent to make sure the deal is done. This shows how much the club was willing to keep the player and how eager they were to sign Victor.
‘I know he really wanted to come to the club, because he still knows he has a lot to prove in Europe.
“He wants to come to Chelsea, he wants to come and help the club get back to where it should be. He knows he can score a lot of goals here in the Premier League and what better place to do that than, you know, his boyhood club, Chelsea.”
Osimhen, who scored 76 goals for Napoli in four seasons, joined Galatasaray on loan last week to seemingly end his transfer saga.
Osimhen, 25, scored 76 goals for Napoli during four years at the club.
Despite Mikel’s claims about Osimhen’s desire to join, the striker has since opened up about his delight at signing for the Turkish giants.
“When I heard about Galatasaray’s interest, it was a very easy decision for me,” Osimhen told the club’s website.
‘I knew how big Galatasaray was and how much like a family it was, and it had amazing fans.’
