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Chelsea and Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli are in hot pursuit of Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano. Al-Ahli and Napoli have reportedly agreed on a €65 million transfer fee for the Nigerian, but Osimhen's camp hasn't greenlit the transfer yet.
Despite the financial riches of the Middle Eastern club, Osimhen's agent Roberto Calenda elaborated on his client's reluctance to leave European football. Explaining the situation on X (formerly Twitter), Calenda wrote:
“Osimhen is a Napoli player, with a contract recently renewed with mutual satisfaction. He made history and when there were major offers we always accepted the club’s decisions. As I said, he is not a package to be shipped far away to make room for new prophets."
Al-Ahli haven't given up on bringing the striker to the Middle East, though, according to Fabrizio Romano's report. However, Chelsea remain one of the frontrunners to pen down a last-minute deal with the striker.
Osimhen joined Napoli from LOSC Lille in 2020 and has been a key architect of the club's success in recent years. In 133 appearances for the club, he has scored 76 goals and recorded 18 assists. He was also instrumental in Napoli's historic Serie A win in the 2022-23 season, recording 31 goals and five assists in 39 appearances across competitions.
Chelsea under scrutiny from English PFA for mass banishment of players
The English PFA is reportedly investigating Chelsea's mass banishment of players from their first-team training. The trend came to light after frozen striker Raheem Sterling was instructed to not train under new manager Enzo Maresca.
According to a report by Daily Mail, 13 players have faced a similar fate in the Blues lineup, something that the English PFA found 'unacceptable.' These 13 players cost the club a whopping £321 million to sign in their first place. The report also states that PFA has been trying to put an end to the norm by talking to banished players like Trevor Chalobah, Raheem Sterling, and Ben Chilwell.
The Blue outfit has been extremely busy during the summer transfer window this year, spending over £230 million to sign 11 new players. This has resulted in an inflated squad consisting of aroun 55 players. Enzo Maresca and Co. would need to trim that number down to 25 before the summer transfer window comes to a close.
Chelsea's next game will be against Servette in the second leg of the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers on August 29. The Blues won the first leg at home by a scoreline of 2-0.
