Chelsea have been poor this campaign and will be desperate for the close of play to arrive so they can focus on what is set to be a busy summer ahead at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues will take on Newcastle United on Sunday at home in the Premier League before taking a break to regroup before 2023/24. Mauricio Pochettino is expected to take the reins in SW6 in the off-season following a lengthy manager search by the Blues' hierarchy.
Sizing up potential transfer incomings and outgoings will be a key task for the Argentine upon arrival and Chelsea have been linked with some high-profile players as they eye another spending spree under Todd Boehly.
The Guardian report that Pochettino has earmarked Napoli striker Victor Osimhen as a target for his rebuild in west London as he looks to add an elite forward to the Chelsea attack to lead from the front next term.
What's the latest transfer news involving Victor Osimhen and why is he so effective?
As cited by The Guardian, Osimhen is indeed 'on the radar' at Stamford Bridge; however, it is believed that it would take a 'huge fee' to entice the Nigeria international away from the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Ben Jacobs has echoed the sentiment that Chelsea pulling off a deal to sign Osimhen will be 'difficult' to do.
Jacobs told FFC: "I think that alongside Vlahovic, for Chelsea, Victor Osimhen remains a target and player that they hugely admire, but everybody chasing Victor Osimhen is well aware of how difficult that deal is to pull off. People forget sometimes what Napoli paid, which was €80 million all in, including bonuses and the valuation put on players that were also part of the deal to Lille, but the all in number is €80 million when everything is included. As a consequence, with the form that Osimhen is on and the level of interest when Napoli are asking for a fee well in excess of £100 million, that isn't because they're being greedy, it's because they are aware that Osimhen has significantly improved in value since they signed him. Because the fee that they paid to Lille was so hefty, it's obvious that, if possible, they would like something close to double what they paid and that's where this approximate number of €150 million comes from."
It is no surprise that interest in Osimhen is strong from Chelsea, as the 24-year-old has registered 28 goals and five assists in 37 appearances this term across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.
Former Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola has likened the £91k-a-week earner to Didier Drogba in a recent interview with Sky Sports via METRO, saying: "I see a lot of similarities but it’s unfair to compare players from different eras. They both play with a lot of physicality and they are both very good with scoring, taking their opportunities. He’s a very complete player. He’s got a good reference going forward, he can link up play and he’s devastating in the air. He’s a pest to defenders."
Bringing in Osimhen would be a real coup for Chelsea and there is an argument to say that he would be the best signing of Blues' co-owner Boehly's era so far. According to WhoScored, the frontman has averaged 4.2 shots per match in Serie A this campaign, demonstrating his ability to constantly trouble opposition backlines.
FBRef also show that the Nigerian has been among the elite forwards in Europe's top five divisions and has fared well in regard to his positional peers in the art of non-penalty goals in the last 365 days, averaging 0.85 per 90 minutes, putting Osimhen in the second percentile for this metric.
As per Tuttonapoli via GOAL, ex-Roma forward Ciccio Graziani has praised Osimhen's qualities as a striker, stating: “He's the top scorer in Serie A, he scores goals in every game. Maybe it won't be beautiful to see but he's effective. The highest performance in the entire league and it's the one that affects the most, so for me, he's my player in Serie A at the moment."
In a time of need for Chelsea, bringing Osimhen to Stamford Bridge would be the perfect tonic for the Blues to get back to challenging for major silverware in 2023/24.
