Chelsea get huge Victor Osimhen transfer discount as Enzo Maresca knows route to dream signing
The January transfer window will open soon and Victor Osimhen is llikely to be the subject of huge interest
Victor Osimhen showed once again just why there is a huge price tag on his head as he proved to be the scourge of Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League.
The Nigerian frontman made the move to Galatasaray on loan this summer after no club activated his huge transfer release clause. Then it stood at €130million (£108million).
And since his move to Turkey, he has shown the rest of Europe what they missed out on. The 25-year-old has four goals and two assists in five Super Lig matches, and made it two goals and two assists in the Europa League with a brace against Spurs on Thursday night.
In truth, Osimhen could have had more than two against Tottenham. He had seven shots in total, with five of those on target. He has only failed to have a goal contribution in one match so far this season.
He was borderline unplayable against Spurs, whose London rivals Chelsea may be the ones rueing the fact they did not sign him. Chelsea were in the market for a striker this summer, but were not prepared to pay the asking price for Osimhen.
However, they may well be looking at his performances and contemplating a move either in the January transfer window or next summer. And if they do, they will get a hug discount on the signing.
When Osimhen moved to Gala in the summer, he negotiated a new contract with Napoli, for whom he was frozen out under new manager Antonio Conte. That new contract lowered his release clause significantly in January and then the summer of 2025.
According to reports, Osimhen’s release clause will be lowered to €90million (£75million) in January, with it dropped even further to €75million (£62million) in the summer.
It has also been written into his Galatasaray deal that he can cut short his loan and leave on a permanent deal if any of 10 unnamed clubs come in for him in January.
It is something of a bizarre new contract stipulation, but with his performances in Turkey and in the Europa League, those unnamed clubs, of which you would expect Chelsea to be one, may well be interested again at a reduced transfer fee.
