Chelsea are still interested in Victor Osimhen, but they’ll have to wait until January to snap him up.
The Blues came incredibly close to signing the Nigerian from Napoli on transfer deadline day this summer. The 25-year-old striker instead joined Galatasaray in a shock loan move, but his future beyond the 2024/25 season remains uncertain – his contract in Italy expires in July.
And while the talent has enjoyed a decent start in the Turkish Super Lig, scoring two goals in just three games, Fabrizio Romano told Caught Offside that Chelsea may swoop in for a £40million deal in January – however, no negotiations are ongoing at present despite the club reportedly preparing behind the scenes.
Should Osimhen join the west London outfit, it could see Nicolas Jackson set aside by Enzo Maresca or even sold on for some serious profit.
Chelsea paid £32m to Villarreal for the Senegalese striker last summer, tying him down until 2033. However, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink believes that the 23-year-old’s market value could rise to £150m. Hasselbaink said: “If Nicolas Jackson fulfils his potential, he will be a £150 million player. I’m convinced of that.”
Jackson has enjoyed a flying start of his own to the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, scoring four goals in six games for Chelsea – one against Wolves in a 6-2 away win, another in a tight 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace, and two against West Ham earlier this month in a 3-0 victory at the London Stadium.
Given his incredible form, it may be unwise to replace Jackson so soon into his Chelsea tenure – especially when he has outperformed legend Didier Drogba in terms of his first season at the club. Drogba found the back of the net just ten times in the 2004/05 Premier League campaign, also providing five assists.
In contrast, the 2023/24 season saw Jackson also bag five assists for Chelsea, albeit outscoring Drogba in his maiden season by four goals with a total of 14. Osimhen, meanwhile, still remains untested in the Premier League, spending the majority of his career playing in the Serie A with Napoli. The striker has scored 76 goals in 133 appearances for the outfit, after making the move from Lille in 2020 for a reported £73million.
