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The strongest indication yet that VICTOR OSIMHEN is amenable to a move to Chelsea has been revealed.
Osimhen was reportedly connected to a summer transfer to the Blues.
The Chelsea transfer chiefs may decide to spend big money on the Napoli star next month despite their struggling league performance.
Osimhen, who turned 25 today, also appears to have begged Chelsea to come grab him.
The 27-cap Nigerian forward made the request to visit Stamford Bridge in response to a social media post.
A fan sent a happy birthday message to the striker on X, the original name of Twitter, and then shared a picture of a young Osimhen that looked like it was wearing a Chelsea shirt.
The caption for the photo said, “Please come and rescue Chelsea soon.”
Osimhen then replied with a praying emoji and two hearts emojis.
He recently extended his existing contract until 2026 by signing a new agreement with the Serie A champions.
But there’s a release clause in that deal for an estimated £112 million.
Todd Boehly has demonstrated his willingness to spend over £100 million on midfield players Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, therefore it is not difficult to envision Chelsea spending £112 million to acquire Osimhen.
Ivan Toney of Brentford and Viktor Gyokores of Sporting Lisbon are reportedly on the club’s five-man transfer shortlist for the January window.
Osimhen rejecting out moving to Saudi Arabia gives the London team even more hope of landing a deal.
He said, “Of course,” on John Obi Mikel’s podcast. everything was true that I had discussions and that August week was a big one for me to make a decision, but I entrusted everything to God.
It was just mind-boggling to witness these things, and the more I refused to give in to these individuals [in Saudi Arabia], the more they exacerbated it and amplified it.
“I talked to the people in charge, and my club and I discussed it and saw what we could do. We made a decision, and I told them that I liked these people and didn’t think I wanted to leave for the time being.
“They recognize my perspective, but they persisted until their own transfer window ended.
I told them, “It’s done,” even before we played the season’s first game. I really didn’t want to reflect back and assume that, while this was undoubtedly a significant decision that would affect my life, I also had to make one that would be beneficial to my profession.
“There’s more to playing football for money than just the money itself.”
The return of Christopher Nkunku, who shone in Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Wednesday, has strengthened the team’s offensive line.
They will play an early kickoff on Saturday against Luton, then host Preston in the FA Cup third round to begin 2024, and then play the first leg of Middlesbrough’s Carabao Cup semi-final.
