Chelsea reportedly remain in the running to sign either Ivan Toney or Victor Osimhen before close of business on Friday.
The Blues have been in the market for a new experienced centre-forward throughout the summer transfer window without making a breakthrough.
A wide array of names have been linked with a potential switch to Stamford Bridge, yet it appears that it is now a straight choice between Toney and Osimhen.
Co-owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital are seemingly prepared to fund a deal for either player, providing that they are willing to accept a contract that fits in with Chelsea's tighter wage structure.
However, over the past 12 hours, it has been widely claimed that the aforementioned duo are more inclined to accept an offer to move to the Saudi Pro League.
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Terms agreed between player or club
In the case of Toney, Al-Ahli have allegedly agreed a £40m deal with Brentford, with the England also willing to accept a lucrative contract that has been put on the table.
Meanwhile, the same club are said to be willing to pay in the region of £67.5m to sign Napoli frontman Osimhen, the Italian side having already brought in Romelu Lukaku as a replacement.
Osimhen is also reportedly willing to accept personal terms offered by Al-Ahli providing that an attainable release clause is included.
Nevertheless, despite the two reports developing concurrently, there is little prospect of both transfers being completed.
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Why both deals will not be completed
As well as Al-Ahli not being prepared to commit to paying the designated fees for two players for the same position, they do not have two slots available in their squad for foreign players.
That effectively leaves them having to facilitate a notable departure or ultimately scrapping one of the deals that have been put in place.
With Osimhen the only person in the scenario yet to make a decision, the perception is that a waiting game could play out until he does so.
The transfer deadline for Saudi Arabia is not until Monday, making it plausible that both players could be left without their futures unresolved by close of business on Friday.
Brentford and Napoli would not be happy with that arrangement, though, given that it would leave them at risk of losing out financially or having an unhappy player on their books for the first half of the season.
Darren Plant
