Mikel Arteta set to pile more misery on Chelsea by 'chasing' £100m long-term target

The Victor Osimhen transfer saga has taken another fresh twist with Arsenal now offered the chance to sign the Nigerian striker after Chelsea were strongly linked last week. The Blues have been widely reported to be the English team looking to sign Osimhen, but Arsenal could now turn the script upside down according to Napoli Magazine.

Napoli are looking for solutions with new manager Antonio Conte determined to bring Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium this summer. However, for them to be able to afford the Belgian, they have to first get Osimhen off the books.

The Nigerian is one of the highest earners at the club, and at the age of 25, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is determined to get at least £100million for his star man, who scored 26 league goals as Napoli defied the odds to win the league during the 2022/2023 league season.

Over the weekend, he was left out of the squad entirely as Napoli lost 2-0 to Girona, but reports in Italy now claim Arsenal have asked about him. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is in the transfer market for a striker who could make the difference between finishing second and winning the Premier League title ahead of Manchester City.

The report on Napoli Magazine further claims that PSG already have an agreement with the Nigerian striker, with the club looking for a new forward following the exit of Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid. However, to comply with financial regulations, they need to sell either Randal Kolo Muani or Gonçalo Ramos to free up further space to bring in the Nigerian.

LondonWorld has reported in the past that Chelsea admire Osimhen but are mindful that they will have to disrupt their wage structure if they are to sign the Nigerian forward. If Arsenal were to beat Chelsea to his signature, that would be another big blow to the Blues, who have struggled to recapture the success of the last two decades since Clearlake Capital bought the club in May 2022.

Sources close to the Nigerian striker have told LondonWorld that he’s calm but would be disappointed to be pushed out of the club where he believes he played a key role in helping them win what was without a doubt a historic third Serie A title.

Meanwhile, in other news, Chelsea are hopeful that Nicolas Jackson will be fit for their game against Real Madrid, having missed all the pre-season games due to injury.