Chelsea 'on brink' of £39m striker swap deal in three-player exchange

The Chelsea-Victor Osimhen saga is reportedly nearing an end, as the Blues are said to be closing in on the signing of the Napoli marksman in a three-player exchange.

Despite reports of interest from Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea emerged as the frontrunners to sign Osimhen, whose desire to leave Napoli has been clear for some time.

Aurelio de Laurentiis - president of the Italian giants - previously insisted that Osimhen would not be allowed to leave unless his £113m release clause was triggered, but he has since relented on his demands thanks to new head coach Antonio Conte.

The former Chelsea boss has made it his priority to reunite with Chelsea outcast Romelu Lukaku following their successful partnership with Inter Milan, but Napoli have so far failed to meet the Blues' £37.5m asking price.

However, Chelsea's interest in Osimhen and Conte's desire to work with Lukaku always meant that a part-exchange deal could be on the cards, and according to The Sun, the two parties are finally close to striking a deal.

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Napoli to sign Lukaku, Cesare Casadei in exchange for Osimhen?

As well as Lukaku, who has been banished to Under-21s training while the saga rumbles on, the Blues are supposedly willing to let young midfielder Cesare Casadei join the 2022-23 Italian champions.

The 21-year-old made 11 appearances for Chelsea in the 2023-24 Premier League season but was not expected to play a prominent role under Enzo Maresca, even with Conor Gallagher's future still up in the air.

Casadei is supposedly valued at £17m by Chelsea, who will also fork out £39m in addition to the unwanted duo in order to sign Osimhen, who is keen to test himself in the Premier League after his success in Serie A.

The former Lille man won the Capocannoniere - awarded to the highest scorer in the Italian top flight - in Napoli's triumphant 2022-23 Serie A season with 26 goals, but the 2023-24 campaign was far more turbulent for Osimhen.

The Nigerian was memorably mocked by the official Napoli TikTok account and also fell out with former head coach Rudi Garcia during a match in September, as the Partenopei finished in a lowly 10th spot.

Chelsea finally fixing major issue with Osimhen signing

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For all the millions - and now billions - that they have spent in the Todd Boehly era, the lack of a seasoned, 20-goal-a-season centre-forward has stuck out like a sore thumb at Stamford Bridge for a number of years now.

With Lukaku ostracised and Armando Broja failing to make the grade, Nicolas Jackson shouldered that responsibility with moderate success last season, scoring 14 Premier League goals and 17 in all competitions.

However, the Senegal international still has a lot to learn at 23, having been guilty of wasting numerous gilt-edged chances last season in addition to disciplinary concerns, picking up 10 Premier League yellow cards over the course of the campaign.

The summer 2024 window has been yet another exercise in adding to an already-bloated squad with teenage talents for Chelsea, but should the Osimhen deal go through, it will represent their smartest piece of business this year.