Napoli striker, Victor Osimhen has picked Chelsea over Paris Saint-Germain as his preferred destination should he depart the Diego Maradona Stadium in the summer transfer window, according to a report by celebrated Italian sports daily, La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The Nigeria international is expected to leave Napoli at the end of the season despite signing a new deal that would have kept him at the club until the end of the 2025-2026 campaign.
Osimhen has established himself as one of the marquee center forwards in the world since his transfer to Napoli, netting 75 goals and registering 18 assists in 130 appearances across all competitions.
The 25-year-old is the reigning African Footballer of the Year, ranked fifth in the The Best FIFA Football Awards 2023 and eighth in the 2023 Men’s Ballon d’Or – a testament to the fact that he is arguably the top center forward in the world at the moment other than Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.
The Italian newspaper added that both PSG and Chelsea would have started initial contacts with Napoli to understand the feasibility of signing Osimhen.
The Nigerian’s contract with Napoli includes a release clause of 130 million euros, and reaching an agreement with either club is not a simple matter.
To bring down his asking price, Chelsea are planning to include makeweights in the proposed deal to sign Osimhen, while the Parisians are working on deferring the payment of the release clause.
The French Ligue 1 champion is targeting Osimhen as a replacement for Kylian Mbappe who is Real Madrid bound and Chelsea is actively seeking a proven goalscorer to bolster the squad.