Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano reveals Chelsea are not willing to pay Osimhen's huge release clause 

Transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano has provided an important update on Chelsea's pursuit of Napoli star Victor Osimhen.

Despite signing a new deal with the Parthenopeans last December, the expectation is that the center forward will be departing the Diego Maradona Stadium at the end of the season. 

Osimhen has a release clause in the region of 130 million euros which must be activated by any interested club seeking his services. 

The reigning African Footballer of the Year is also wanted by Paris Saint-Germain, who have targeted him as a potential replacement for France superstar Kylian Mbappe. 

With Chelsea facing Financial Fair Play scrutiny, the Stamford Bridge outfit have to offload some players to adhere to FFP. 

There is talk that the Londoners could use Romelu Lukaku as a makeweight in the proposed deal for Osimhen to drive down his asking price. 

Romano has confirmed that Chelsea are not prepared to trigger Osimhen's huge release clause, adding that the Premier League club have not started formal negotiations with Napoli and the player's camp. 

 Asked if Chelsea are really in talks with Osimhen, Romano said on his Here We Go podcast on Thursday: "We've received many questions from our listeners on Victor Osimhen but what we can say is that at the moment between Chelsea and Victor Osimhen, and Chelsea and Napoli there is not a proper negotiation.

"Chelsea's interest in Osimhen is something they already had since November. December they started some contacts to understand the release clause situation, the contract situation but Chelsea have still not decided how much they want to invest in a striker. 

"Chelsea are not negotiating for Victor Osimhen and it's also important to say that Chelsea don't want to pay super crazy money for Osimhen.

"It's a big release clause, around 120-130 million euros, and also a big salary requested by the player, big commission, that's why Chelsea are still taking their time and remember they are still following younger strikers like Šeško and many others who can be interesting options ahead of the summer transfer window."

Since landing at Napoli in 2020, Osimhen has mustered 76 goals in 131 matches across all competitions. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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