David Ornstein reveals new reason Chelsea are holding back on Osimhen signing

• Chelsea have been in negotiations with Napoli, exploring various options for Victor Osimhen
• The Blues are unwilling to pay his £113 million release clause, while the Italians don't want less
• The Athletic's David Ornstein has disclosed another reason the Londoners are stalling in pursuit

Chelsea have been in active negotiations with Napoli, exploring various options to sign Victor Osimhen, yet a deal has yet to materialise due to a reason on the Blues’ part.

Osimhen is expected to leave Napoli, and as the window draws to the end, his options have become limited, with Chelsea the only European club left in pursuit of the Nigerian.

Victor Osimhen training with Napoli amid Chelsea links. Photo by Ciro de Luca.
Source: Getty Images

The biggest obstacle in the deal has been the £113 million release clause inserted into the contract he signed in 2023, a figure that has scared off most interested clubs.

According to L'Equipe via PSG talk, Paris Saint-Germain, which were in discussions early in the window, walked away after failing to reach an agreement with Napoli.

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Chelsea careful about Osimhen deal

The proposals from Chelsea were a swap deal involving Osimhen and Romelu Lukaku, whom Napoli want, or a loan deal with an option to buy for the Super Eagles forward.

Both offers were not appealing to the club and player, as both were unwilling to accept any deal without a mandatory clause because it could mean he would be back in Italy next summer.

British journalist David Ornstein, speaking on the Overlap Podcast, explained why Chelsea, aside from the known reasons for fees and terms, have not gone in for Osimhen.

He claimed the club are at the beginning of their project with Nicolas Jackson as striker and that they would not like to stall his development after a positive first season.

PSG withdraw from Osimhen race

Legit.ng reported that PSG have withdrawn from the race to sign Osimhen despite initially having a personal terms agreement with the former Lille striker in July.

The Parisians cooled interest weeks ago over Napoli’s insistence on getting a full fee, and despite the injury to Portuguese attacker Goncalo Ramos, they will not be returning to the table.

Source: Legit.ng