VICTOR Osimhen is not excited by the prospects of joining Chelsea, according to reports in Italy.
Meanwhile, Napoli are working hard to replace him with Romelu Lukaku, resuming talks with Chelsea for the Belgium striker after the 3-0 humiliation by Verona yesterday.
Super Eagles striker Osimhen appears destined to leave Nepoli this summer but his price tag of €130m is keeping potential suitors away, with only Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain negotiating with the Serie A club.
However, reports have claimed that the 25-year-old Nigeria international would rather join PSG, although the French champions have reportedly cooled their interest.
Chelsea are also not wholly confident about Osimhen and are currently only open to discussing a loan deal with an option to buy.
European transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reported last week that Chelsea see the two strikers as separate deals, but Osimhen is unwilling to leave the Stadio Maradona on a temporary transfer.
Meanwhile, Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport reported today that Napoli have resumed talks to sign Lukaku from Chelsea.
The 2022/2023 Serie A champions contacted the Blues again following a dreadful start to the season that saw Antonio Conte’s team lose 3-0 to Hellas Verona at the Stadio Bentegodi.
Napoli have already offered €25m plus €5m in add-ons, but their proposal is still far from Lukaku’s €43m release clause.
In recent hours, Chelsea reportedly told Napoli that Lukaku’s transfer fee could be reduced, although €30m is still not enough to sign the 31-year-old.
Lukaku is keen to join Conte at Napoli and has already agreed to take a pay cut at the Stadio Maradona, where he would earn around €6m per season, according to Football Italia.
