Chelsea 'waiting on Victor Osimhen contract decision'

Chelsea are reportedly keeping tabs on Victor Osimhen's contract situation at Napoli.

Osimhen attracted interest from a number of European clubs over the summer after experiencing a successful 2022-23 campaign with Napoli.

The Nigeria international registered 26 goals in 32 league games to lead Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years.

While there was said to be interest from the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, Napoli's significant financial demands ultimately led to Osimhen remaining at the Italian club.

Osimhen, who is currently under contract until June 2025, was believed to be close to reaching an agreement over a new Napoli deal, but negotiations reportedly hit a stumbling block due to issues surrounding the player's salary demands and a potential release clause.

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The striker's current situation has also been thrown into doubt following a social media storm created by the club's official TikTok account.

Napoli's account uploaded two videos appearing to mock Osimhen, with one making fun of his penalty miss against Bologna, while another compared him to a coconut.

While the Italian club stopped short of offering a formal apology, they said that they "never meant to offend or mock Victor Osimhen" with the now-deleted TikTok posts.

After seeing Osimhen's Napoli future thrown into doubt, a recent report claimed that Chelsea were leading the race to sign the forward in January.

According to 90min, Chelsea are waiting to see whether or not Osimhen decides to put pen to paper on a new Napoli contract.

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Despite bringing in Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku in the summer, the Blues are still keen to sign a new central striker in the winter window.

Earlier this week, Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis stated that he was confident Osimhen would pen a new deal with the club.

"There are no problems for Osimhen's contract extension," De Laurentiis told reporters. "All the players are always happy at Napoli. The problems arrive when they leave: these players can no longer find the main road for their careers."

Osimhen has scored five goals in seven league matches this season, and he is expected to lead the line in Sunday's home meeting with Fiorentina.