Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna has confirmed that star striker Victor Osimhen has asked to leave the club amid interest from Chelsea.
The Nigeria international rose to global prominence after scoring a league-high 26 goals during Napoli's Serie A-winning campaign of 2022-23, prior to which he had been posting respectable numbers in the Partenopei shirt.
Osimhen's 2023-24 season was a largely forgettable one, though, as even though he managed a respectable 17 efforts across all tournaments, his season was marred by club controversy.
As well as being seen arguing with former boss Rudi Garcia during his ill-fated stint in charge, Osimhen was also mocked by his own club in a couple of posts on TikTok, sparking fury from his agent.
The 25-year-old nevertheless agreed a new contract with Napoli until the summer of 2026, although that extension was more about protecting his value rather than being indicative of a long-term association.
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Osimhen has "asked to leave" Napoli amid Chelsea reports
Osimhen's terms are said to include a release clause of around £113m, but as president Aurelio de Laurentiis is resigned to losing the striker this summer, he would be willing to do business at around the £85.6m mark.
Amid the speculation surrounding his next career move, Osimhen was not involved in Napoli's Coppa Italia first-round win over Modena on Saturday evening, where Antonio Conte's men won on penalties following a 0-0 draw.
Speaking to the media before the game, Manna confirmed that the 25-year-old was absent from the squad due to his desire to leave, while also offering a cryptic update about what the next "few days" might bring.
"He asked to leave. We are calm because we have players in the squad who can replace him in the best way. However, we do not want to harm the integrity of the group and want to preserve it. We will see what will happen in the next few days," football.london quotes Manna as saying.
As a result, Osimhen will seemingly not be involved in any more Napoli squads while he remains set on leaving, meaning that he could depart the club with a record of 76 goals and 18 assists from 133 matches.
What is the latest on Chelsea's Osimhen pursuit?
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With Real Madrid signing Kylian Mbappe and Arsenal abandoning their search for a centre-forward for the time being, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are considered the top contenders for Osimhen's signature.
However, the French champions' interest has supposedly also cooled, as Luis Enrique is happy with Randal Kolo Muani and Goncalo Ramos as his central options, leaving Chelsea in prime position to bring the wantaway Nigerian to the Premier League.
The Blues are currently in no position to bow to Napoli's £85.6m price demands, though, and a move also hinges on Napoli's ability to agree a deal with Romelu Lukaku, who apparently has a £37.8m buyout clause in his Chelsea deal.
Talk of Lukaku and Osimhen heading in opposite directions as part of a player-plus-cash deal have been shot down by the latter's agent, but Chelsea have apparently banished the former from the first-team facilities as they desperately try to offload him.
As things stand, an agreement still seems a fair way away, meaning that Chelsea's pursuit of Osimhen could come down to the final knockings of the summer window, which slams shut on August 30.
