Victor Osimhen Still Stuck At Napoli As His Future Remains Very Cloudy

The future of Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen at Napoli remains as cloudy as it has been all summer, with reports claiming that both Chelsea and Arsenal have withdrawn from the race to sign him.

Italian transfer market expert Ciro Troise has revealed that PSG and Chelsea had shown interest in the Nigerian striker but faced obstacles such as his massive release clause worth about £110 million.

Initially, there were talks of a potential deal involving Romelu Lukaku moving to Napoli, but Chelsea have now shifted their focus to Atletico Madrid forward Samu Omorodion as a replacement. Similarly, Arsenal also expressed interest in Osimhen but have since decided to pull out of the race, according to Troise via CalcioNapoli24.

“Osimhen? Nothing has changed”, he said. “He reappears now and then, but the situation is always the same: PSG doesn’t go beyond €70m and hasn’t sold Kolo Muani yet. While Chelsea and Arsenal have withdrawn.”

Meanwhile, Napoli’s new manager, Antonio Conte, is said to prefer Romelu Lukaku in his attack for the upcoming season, putting more pressure on the 25-year-old Nigeria international to get a new club this summer.

While Troise claimed Arsenal and Chelsea have withdrawn from their push for Victor Osimhen, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claimed that nothing has changed concerning the future of the Nigerian, which means that the two Premier League clubs are still interested in him.

Despite securing several new signings this summer, Chelsea are still in pursuit of a top striker, with Osimhen being a long-term target. However, complications have arisen as Osimhen is reportedly unwilling to consider a loan move, and the Premier League club is hesitant to meet his hefty release clause.

With the potential departures of Armando Broja and David Datro Fofana, Chelsea may find themselves with only Nicolas Jackson and Omorodion as recognized strikers, thereby increasing the need for an experienced forward like Osimhen.

These developments leave Osimhen’s future unclear, with various clubs reevaluating their options in the ongoing transfer window.

“Will Chelsea go for Osimhen? I told you for Osimhen, in many different ways that there are no changes,” Romano explained on Playback on Thursday.

“Nothing is happening today. People are saying that Chelsea left the race for Osimhen; I’m not aware of this. People are saying that Chelsea are accelerating for Osimhen; I’m not aware of this. People are saying that Chelsea is getting closer to Osimhen on a loan; I’m not aware of this.

“No changes of Osimhen. As of today (Thursday), the interest remains, but Osimhen doesn’t want to go on loan. What happens in one week, two weeks, or three weeks, we will see. We can’t predict the future, but Osimhen today, nothing is happening.”

Note that the contract between Napoli and Victor Osimhen will expire on June 30, 2026, which means that he remains a Napoli player if he is not able to secure a new club this summer.