Chelsea are reportedly positioned at the head of the queue to sign Napoli striker Victor Osimhen in 2024.
The Nigeria international was one of the most in-demand marksmen on the summer market this year, having fired Napoli to the Serie A title with a league-high 26 goals in 32 matches.
All of Chelsea, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain were believed to be weighing up moves for Osimhen, only to be priced out of a move for the former Lille man.
As a result, Osimhen remained in Naples to spearhead the Partenopei's Scudetto defence, but his long-term future was plunged into serious doubt due to a recent social media scandal.
Last month, the official Napoli TikTok account posted two bizarre videos appearing to mock Osimhen, one of which compared him to a coconut while the other made light of his penalty miss against Bologna with a high-pitched voice dubbed over the top.
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Osimhem's representative threatened legal action against the Italian champions, who did not formally apologise to the 24-year-old but instead affirmed that they never intended to offend their star striker with the now-deleted posts.
Osimhen has remained one of the first names on the teamsheet for head coach Rudi Garcia amid the saga and a recent spat with the manager, having come to verbal blows with Garcia after being substituted in the aforementioned Bologna showdown.
However, the TikTok storm has inevitably led to fresh speculation over Osimhen's future, and according to CaughtOffside, Chelsea have emerged as the early favourites to prise him away from Italy.
The Blues added Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku and Deivid Washington to their offensive ranks this summer, but the former has only scored once in the Premier League so far, while Nkunku is still out with a serious knee injury.
As a result, Mauricio Pochettino is prioritising the signing of a new number nine midway through the season, and the report adds that the club will soon hold talks over their transfer strategy for Osimhen.
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The Nigerian's contract with Napoli only runs until the end of the 2024-25 season, and talks over an extension have supposedly hit a roadblock owing to recent events, but president Aurelio de Laurentiis remains relaxed about the situation.
Speaking to reporters after Tuesday's 3-2 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid, De Laurentiis said: "There is no problem, there is never a problem: everyone in Napoli is always happy, the problem is when they leave they can no longer find the main road."
Chelsea are likely to be quoted a fee in excess of £100m for Osimhen and may have to battle Saudi Arabian sides for his signature, but the Blues have a list of alternative options too.
Brentford's Ivan Toney, Brighton & Hove Albion's Evan Ferguson and Feyenoord's Santiago Gimenez are also on the West London club's radar, but London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are showing interest in the latter.
Chelsea returned to winning ways with a 2-0 West London derby success over Fulham on Monday night and return to the road to face Burnley on Saturday afternoon before the international break.
Ben Knapton
