Chelsea have supposedly been given hope of signing Napoli's Victor Osimhen in the January transfer window due to a secret clause in his Galatasaray loan contract.
The Nigeria international was pursued relentlessly by the Blues all summer long, and the door was seemingly open for him to join Chelsea when Romelu Lukaku moved in the opposite direction.
However, Chelsea never reached an agreement over a fee with their Italian counterparts, who instead accepted an offer from Al-Ahli on deadline day and were just waiting for Osimhen to give the thumbs-up.
The green light from the player never arrived, though, which ultimately saw Al-Ahli sign Ivan Toney from Brentford in a shock late twist and Osimhen remain at Napoli beyond the end of the Premier League deadline.
The 25-year-old had been frozen out of Conte's squad in Naples, though, so in order to actually play football between now and January, he secured a shock loan switch to Galatasaray for the remainder of the season.
Napoli 'could recall' Osimhen in January
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Osimhen agreed a new contract at Napoli with a reduced release clause worth €75m (£63.3m) before joining the Turkish giants, though, and he is due to return to Italy in 2025 as things stand.
However, Football Insider reports that Napoli negotiated a break clause in Osimhen's Galatasaray contract, which gives them the right to recall the striker from his loan spell in January.
The revelation has reportedly put Chelsea back on red alert, and the Blues are weighing up whether to make a move for Osimhen during the winter window if his stint in Turkey is indeed cut short.
The West London giants supposedly do not believe that Osimhen's temporary move to Galatasaray will impact their hopes of a January deal, but they could be rivalled for his signature by other clubs in Europe and the Middle East.
Chelsea 'must resolve key issue' before signing Osimhen
However, the report adds that the Blues must still find a solution to their internal power struggle before making any serious moves in the transfer market, with Todd Boehly and Clearlake still at odds.
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It has been claimed that the two parties could try to buy the other out, although neither has blinked in the ownership battle, which head coach Enzo Maresca addressed before Saturday's 1-0 win over Bournemouth.
Osimhen made his debut for Galatasaray in a 5-0 victory over Caykur Rizespor over the weekend, but even though he did not open his account for the club, he provided an assist for Abdulkerim Bardakci's goal.
The Nigeria international has amassed 76 goals and 18 assists in 133 matches for Napoli since 2020, including a league-high 26 goals in the 2022-23 Serie A season en route to helping the Partenopei win the title.
Arsenal were reportedly also offered the chance to sign Osimhen earlier in the summer transfer window, but the Gunners turned down the transfer opportunity due to Napoli's extortionate price demands.
Ben Knapton
