Chelsea have reportedly suffered a significant blow in their pursuit of Napoli forward Victor Osimhen.
The Blues have been active in the summer transfer window, having recruited Tosin Adarabioyo, Caleb Wiley, Omari Kellyman, Filip Jorgensen, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Renato Veiga.
They also strengthened their forward options with the addition of Spain Under-19 international Marc Guiu from Barcelona.
While Guiu has impressed in pre-season, Chelsea are keen to bring in an established forward to compete with Nicolas Jackson.
They have been heavily linked with a potential move for Napoli’s Osimhen, who has a significant release clause in the region of £110m.
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has previously stated that he is unwilling to accept anything below Osimhen’s release clause.
However, it was recently reported that the Italian club were in talks with Chelsea over a potential loan move which would see Romelu Lukaku move in the opposite direction.
While Osimhen’s agent dismissed talk of a loan departure, the Nigeria international continues to be linked with a potential move to Stamford Bridge.
However, according to Corriere dello Sport, Osimhen is not excited by the prospect of joining Enzo Maresca’s side, denting Chelsea’s hopes of landing the 25-year-old forward.
The report suggests that Napoli have received no concrete offers, raising doubt as to whether Osimhen will be able to complete a move away from the Serie A side this summer.
Arsenal have previously been linked with the Napoli marksman, but they are not actively pursuing a move and are currently focusing on other attacking targets.
Paris Saint-Germain are seemingly regarded as Chelsea’s biggest rivals for Osimhen’s signature, with the French club keen to add some star power to their frontline following the departure of Kylian Mbappe.
However, there is a belief that they need to sell either Goncalo Ramos or Randal Kolo Muani before they can step up their pursuit of the Napoli man.
Osimhen has been part of Napoli’s pre-season training camp, but he has failed to feature in any of the club’s friendly matches as he focuses on keeping himself fit ahead of a potential departure.
