Chelsea is closely monitoring the developments surrounding Victor Osimhen’s position at Napoli.
This comes in the wake of the striker’s agent warning the Italian champions of potential legal repercussions, as reported by reliable sources.
Chelsea has held a longstanding interest in the Nigerian footballer, who played a pivotal role in Napoli’s triumphant Serie A campaign last season, ending a 33-year title drought for the club.
Back in February, according to a report from MA Sports, Osimhen was initially Chelsea’s top choice as their main striker target for the upcoming summer transfer window.
However, as it seemed that the striker was getting closer to securing a new contract with Napoli, Chelsea adjusted their priorities. Instead, they made 12 signings in preparation for the 2023/24 season and saw Osimhen as a more realistic target for the summer of 2024.
However, the situation is now potentially changing. Osimhen’s agent, Roberto Calenda, has confirmed that they are contemplating taking legal action against Napoli.
This comes after Napoli posted a video on TikTok that disparaged the striker. Although the post has been deleted since, Osimhen is extremely upset with how the club has treated him.
Calenda stated on Tuesday: “What happened today on Napoli’s official profile on the TikTok platform is not acceptable. A video mocking Victor was first made public and then, but now belatedly, deleted.
“A serious fact that causes very serious damage to the player and adds to the treatment that the boy is suffering in the last period between media trials and fake news. “We reserve the right to take legal action and any useful initiative to protect Victor.”
Chelsea is closely monitoring the situation with Osimhen at Napoli. However, Chelsea had already expressed interest in him before this recent development and is still interested in the summer of 2024.
Earlier this week, a reliable source reported that discussions between Osimhen and Napoli regarding a contract extension had slowed down due to various issues in recent weeks. The TikTok controversy has only added to the complications.
Osimhen’s current contract with Napoli runs until 2025, and it was expected that any new deal would include a release clause of approximately £130 million (€150 million).
Chelsea’s need for a new star striker has become more urgent due to their poor start to the season. They have won just one of their first six Premier League matches and have scored only five goals. Currently, they have only two natural center forwards in their first-team squad: Armando Broja, who is returning from an ACL injury, and summer signing Nicolas Jackson.
There were high hopes for Jackson after a strong pre-season, but he has only managed to score one goal and has already received a one-match suspension for accumulating five yellow cards, all of which were for dissent. In the 2022/23 season, Chelsea scored 38 goals in the Premier League, while Osimhen alone scored 26 goals in 32 Serie A matches for Napoli, helping them win the title and becoming the first African player to win the Capocannoniere.
