Why Chelsea's £34m decision may have handed Man Utd advantage in Osimhen race

Chelsea transfer news: Victor Osimhen appears to be the Blues' primary attacking target for the summer but they will likely face stiff competition from Manchester United

From 28 games in domestic and Champions League action, Osimhen has found the back of the net on 25 separate occasions. To further highlight his impeccable goal scoring ability in this campaign, his longest run without a goal is three games and from the start of January until the end of February, the Nigeria international scored 10 goals in eight matches.

Speaking earlier this month, Osimhen said: "I think playing in one of the top five leagues in the world (Serie A) is an amazing feeling for me. A lot of people worldwide consider the Premier League as the best and the strongest league but now I'm in one of the best leagues in the world, which is the Italian Serie A.

"I'm working so hard to make sure that I achieve my dream of playing in the Premier League someday but, like I said, it's a process and I just want to keep on this momentum and continue to do well."

While Osimhen has contributed significantly to Napoli's fortunes this season, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has also been in tantalising form, hitting 14 goals and 14 assists this season following a successful penalty and composed pass to allow Tanguy Ndombele to score in the recent 4-0 victory over Torino.

The attacking duo have certainly lit the footballing world alight and it's fair to say that Kalidou Koulibaly did the same just a few years ago. Around the time of his peak displays, Napoli could have got £80million in exchange for the Senegalese defender if owner Aurelio De Laurentis had been willing to cash in on the defender sooner.

Erik ten Hag's side are currently in pole position to sign Osimhen after laying the ground work for a move in January and according to The Independent, Napoli are at least willing to negotiate with United for the player.

Therefore, without actually realising it, Chelsea could have harmed their chances of bringing Osimhen to Stamford Bridge when they signed Koulibaly last summer for a cut-price fee in comparison to what he would have been worth just a few years previously.