Chelsea 'make Victor Osimhen top January target'

Chelsea are reportedly planning to make a formal approach for Napoli forward Victor Osimhen in January.

The Blues are already well stocked for attacking players with Nicolas Jackson, Armando Broja and Christopher Nkunku all capable of leading the line.

However, each of the trio have either been blighted by inconsistency or injury throughout 2023-24, leaving Mauricio Pochettino where he needs to be open-minded regarding whether he should make another addition.

That is particularly the case after Chelsea suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon, with the Blues now seven points adrift of the seventh-placed Magpies in the standings.

To Chelsea's credit, they have netted nine goals in their last three games, with their issues down to nine strikes being conceded at the other end.

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Nevertheless, speculation regarding signing a new striker refuses to go away and it appears that a move for Osimhen is more likely than not.

According to The Telegraph, Pochettino has identified Osimhen as his priority target should the club take the decision to try to sign a new frontman.

Osimhen will go down as a club legend regardless of how the remainder of his career in Naples pans out, with the Nigeria international scoring 65 goals and contributing 16 assists from 112 appearances and playing a key role in last season's Serie A title triumph.

Despite that impact, the 24-year-old is now believed to be unsettled at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, not helped by two offensive videos that were published by the club's social media team earlier in the campaign.

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While Osimhen still has six goals and two assists from 11 outings in 2023-24, reports persist that there is little intention of extending his contract past 2025.

That effectively leaves Napoli in a position where they will have to consider offers in January or the summer in order to recoup close to their valuation, believed to be in the region of £100m.

Whether Chelsea or any other suitors are prepared to pay that figure remains to be seen, yet it appears that the West Londoners have the most intention of making an official bid in January.

Furthermore, the expectation is that Osimhen will be interested in moving to Stamford Bridge, seemingly regardless of whether Chelsea can remain in contention for European qualification.