Chelsea in talks over Osimhen transfer with Napoli as potential swap emerges

Chelsea are in talks with Napoli over a deal which would see Victor Osimhen join them on loan - with Romelu Lukaku in line to join the Serie A outfit permanently.

The Blues want to offload Lukaku for good this summer after facilitating loan moves to Inter Milan and Roma over the last two seasons. Antonio Conte, the new head coach of Napoli, is keen to reunite with the 31-year-old, who he worked with previously at Inter.

In turn, Napoli are trying to find a buyer for Osimhen amid speculation that he wants to move this summer and Chelsea could take him to Stamford Bridge, according to The Athletic.

A new report details that the two clubs are in discussions over a permanent deal for Lukaku with Osimhen then potentially joining Chelsea on loan.

Chelsea would not be obliged to purchase Osimhen next summer, although the Blues would have the option to do so if they wished as per the current terms being discussed.

Osimhen has plundered 76 goals in 133 appearances for Napoli since joining the club from Lille back in 2020 and helped the Italian outfit to their first Scudetto since 1990 back in 2023 after notching 26 goals in the league.

The 25-year-old has been strongly linked with a move to the Premier League over the past 12 months and was touted for a move to Arsenal earlier in the summer window.

Lukaku, 31, enjoyed the most productive spell of his career under Conte at Inter Milan before re-joining Chelsea in a blockbuster £97.5million transfer back in the summer of 2021.

The former Everton and Manchester United man was seen as the final piece in the Blues' jigsaw back then with the club in need of a top quality striker, however, he failed to live up to expectations during the 2021/22 campaign and has since spent the bulk of his time back in Italy on loan. He is not thought to be in the plans of new head coach Enzo Maresca.

Chelsea have already sold Ian Maatsen and Omari Hutchinson this summer for eight-figure transfer fees to Aston Villa and Ipswich Town respectively. More players are expected to depart ahead of next month's transfer deadline, though, in the wake of a flurry of incomings over the past 12 months.