- Chelsea held talks with Victor Osimhen’s agents over a transfer on Wednesday
- Napoli star is hoping for a weekly wage of around £500,000
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Chelsea’s attempts to sign Napoli forward Victor Osimhen are likely to be hijacked by Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli, who have reached an agreement to sign the 25-year-old.
Mail Sport reported earlier this week that the Saudi Arabian club had shelved a £55million bid for the Napoli striker, while Chelsea had also raised the stakes to land their long-held target.
Osimhen must now decide whether to move to the Premier League or the Saudi Pro League. The London club held talks with his representatives on Wednesday to reach an agreement on his salary.
Chelsea wanted to complete an initial loan deal with an option to buy the striker, while Napoli and Osimhen had also indicated they were prepared to lower their demands to ensure a deal can be reached before the transfer window closes later on Friday evening.
Osimhen, whose contract with the Serie A club expires in 2026, is reportedly targeting a net weekly salary of around £500,000, a staggering figure.
Chelsea had been monitoring Osimhen for some time and were not prepared to pay the price.
Interestingly, his agent, Roberto Calenda, posted a statement on X (formerly Twitter) earlier this week, slamming Napoli and suggesting the Nigerian striker’s future lies in Europe.
Calenda wrote: ‘Osimhen is a Napoli player and his contract has recently been extended to mutual satisfaction.
“He made history and when there were big offers (also this year) we always accepted the club’s decisions. As I said, he is not a package to send far away to make room for new prophets.
‘Victor was voted African Footballer of the Year, eighth in the Ballon d’Or, he still has so much to do in Europe. There has to be respect and balance.’
More to come…