Chelsea are ‘not planning’ to make a move to sign Napoli forward Victor Osimhen in the summer transfer window.
Osimhen is expected to leave Napoli after a disappointing title defence this season, with the Italian side ending the campaign 10th in the table to miss out on European qualification.
The Nigeria international has a release clause of around €130m (£110m) in his contract and has been heavily linked with Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.
A potential swap deal involving Romelu Lukaku heading to Napoli had been mooted in recent days, with ex-Chelsea coach Antonio Conte – who previously worked with the Belgian at Inter Milan – set to be appointed as head coach at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
However, Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Chelsea have no plans to negotiate with Napoli over a deal for Osimhen, with or without Lukaku involved, at this stage.
The Blues are expected to sign a centre-forward with Lukaku and Armando Broja set to leave West London this summer, though there are currently no plans to pursue Osimhen.
Osimhen has scored 76 goals in 133 appearances for Napoli and was the league’s leading scorer as the club won a first Serie A title in 33 years in 2022-23. He was named African Footballer of the Year in 2023 and has been touted as a replacement for Kylian Mbappe at Paris Saint-Germain, having previously played in Ligue 1 at Lille.
Chelsea’s focus will be on sales before June 30 as the Blues look to remain compliant with the Premier League’ Profit and Sustainability rules, before embarking on a recruitment process under their new head coach. Leicester manager Enzo Maresca has agreed terms to replace Mauricio Pochettino.
