Transfer: Chelsea eager to speed-up talks with Osimhen

Chelsea are eager to accelerate talks with one of their top strikers target ahead of 2024 as Mauricio Pochettino looks to sign a new number nine.

It’s no secret that Chelsea are going to be in the market for a new striker in 2024. Pochettino’s side have struggled to find the back of the net and are in need of some extra firepower.

Summer signing Nicolas Jackson has struggled to find his feet in the Premier League and Christopher Nkunku is yet to feature because of injury.

Chelsea have only scored 13 goals in their first 10 Premier League matches and they are currently projected to score 49 goals across the entire campaign.

Despite their lack of goals, Chelsea have tended to create a decent number of chances per game, but their finishing has often let them down.

Pochettino will no doubt be desperate to solve this critical problem and Chelsea have been linked with a number of forwards who could solve the issue.

Brentford’s Ivan Toney has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge and so has Napoli forward Victor Osimhen. Neither of them would come cheap, but they would surely improve Chelsea in the final third.

While Toney remains a strong option for Chelsea in the January window, a recent report has claimed that Chelsea are upping their pursuit of Osimhen.

The Napoli forward scored 31 goals across all competitions last season and helped Napoli to the Serie A title. With his long-term future currently up in the air, Chelsea are reportedly set to up their attempts to sign him.

According to Caught Offside, Chelsea are ‘increasing pressure’ on Napoli as they try and bargain a deal for Osimhen. The report claims that Napoli won’t sell their prized asset in January, but they could be open to a sale next summer.

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With this being the case, Chelsea are looking to lay the groundwork on the transfer now so they are at the front of the queue by the time he is made available for sale.

The 24-year-old is under contract with Napoli until 2025 and plenty of Europe’s top clubs are expected to battle for his signature in the coming months.

Joe Cole recently urged Chelsea to sign a traditional number nine and named Osimhen and Toney as potential options for Pochettino’s side.

“I think with Chelsea, as well as they did against Arsenal, I think they need a traditional No.9 – they’ve had Drogba as the main one in recent times but now they’ve been linked with Ivan Toney,” Cole told TNT Sport.

“If they can go out and get him, then that’d be absolutely perfect for them because what they have around that is perfect.

“It’s difficult because there’s not many of them [natural strikers] around. Osimhen and Toney, the financial package you’d have to give to those players is very difficult.”