Chelsea have been very connected with Victor Osimhen in recent days, but surprise reports suggest Tottenham could be competing with the Blues for his signature.
As we have been reporting for months, the Napoli striker is open to moving to Stamford Bridge, but his value is the main impediment to it.
Osimhen has a release clause of around £110m in his contract and, until recently, Napoli showed no signs they would be willing to settle for less.
But, according to famed journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Italian club are in talks with Chelsea and are open to a partial swap deal involving Romelu Lukaku.
Napoli manager Antonio Conte is a big fan of Lukaku and the Napoli side would be willing to settle for him, plus around £60m for Osimhen.
Lukaku is part of Enzo Maresca’s plans at Chelsea and Ben Jacobs claims he has already taken a significant pay cut and signed a three-year contract with Napoli.
That doesn’t mean Chelsea have completed a deal for Osimhen yet, and now Tottenham could take advantage of the uncertainty.
Osimhen’s agent Roberto Calenda is quick to dismiss claims that he is close to agreeing a deal with Chelsea, or even his other suitors, Paris Saint-Germain.
“I have heard of imaginative exchanges with Victor [Osimhen] sent here and there as if it were a package that must be delivered quickly,” Calenda posted in X.
“This package, however, is the most sensible scorer of the third scudetto in the history of Naples. Respectful and almost sensible about fake news!
According to Football Insider, Tottenham are “keeping an eye on” Osimhen’s situation. Ange Postecoglou continues to search for a new attacker.
It’s fair to say that Tottenham never replaced Harry Kane after joining Bayern last summer, so Osimhen may be the best man to fill that void.
The report claims that the north London club would be willing to “offer their own in exchange” for the Nigerian international, as well as money.
Osimhen propelled Napoli to the Serie A title in 2022/23 by scoring 26 league goals in 32 appearances, before scoring 15 in 25 games last season.
Postecoglou is said to be “obsessed” with signing a new leader and sees Osimhen as the most sensible target, so it will be attractive to see if Tottenham launch a concrete offer for the Napoli superstar in the coming days, as the report suggests.