Victor Osimhen could be on his way out of Napoli, with the latest reports claiming the Super Eagles forward could leave the Serie A side as early as January.
The 24-year-old became a fan favourite saw his reputation soar even higher after leading Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years last season, scoring 31 goals across all competitions.
It has not been the same for Osimhen in the current campaign, who has struggled since the arrival of Rudi Garcia as Napoli manager, with the player's future at the club now said to be complicated. Asides their star forward, it has also been a collective struggle for the Partenopei, who have already lost as many games on home soil this season as they did in the whole of last campaign.
In Serie A, Napoli are facing a difficult battle to defend their crown, as they find themselves in fifth place and already seven points off leaders AC Milan as at the time of writing.
Osimhen has once said that his dream would be to play for Chelsea and the Blues appear to be working hard to make that dream a reality. The West-London side have long been interested in the Super Eagles forward and have now identified him as a strong target to bolster their attacking options.
Given the latest news making the rounds, Chelsea could make a move for Osimhen as early as January because of one reason.
Rudi Garcia fallout could hasten Osimhen's Napoli exit
It would appear that Osimhen and Rudi Garcia do not have the best of relationships, a claim which showed some element of truth in Napoli's 0-0 draw with Bologna last month.
The 24-year-old had to apologize to manager Rudi Garcia following his angry outburst after he was taken off in that fixture.
Osimhen failed to convert a penalty in the second half before he was substituted. But as the Super Eagles frontman left the pitch, he was visibly enraged and held up two fingers to Garcia, suggesting that more than one striker should be on the pitch with the team still in search of a goal.
To sum it all up, Osimhen was involved in further controversy with Napoli after a Tik-Tok video that appeared to be racist was posted by the club's official account.
With all of the above in mind, the player's entourage will reportedly listen to offers for the forward in the upcoming January window, with Chelsea one of the leading names for his signature.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE 🚨
Chelsea are interested in Victor Osimhen and a January departure can't be discounted 🔵🇳🇬
The Napoli striker still hasn't signed a new deal and isn't enjoying his football under Rudi Garcia 👀
Full story 👇👇
— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) October 17, 2023
Which clubs are leading the race to sign Osimhen?
A host of top sides have been put on red alert considering Osimhen's current situation at Napoli. However, recent reports suggest that the Premier League duo of Chelsea and Liverpool are ready to battle it out for the Nigerian forward.
A move to Liverpool, who only joined the race for the 24-year-old, is somewhat logical, given that they only have one centre-forward in Darwin Nunez who has not exactly been consistent.
Elsewhere, fellow Premier League side Arsenal are also reportedly interested in Osimhen, but the presence of two strikers in Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah complicates matters, coupled with the club's reported interest in Brentford striker Ivan Toney.
There is also talk about Real Madrid contemplating a move for the Nigerian but nothing concrete has emerged from those rumors so far.
Saudi side Al-Hilal also retain interest in Osimhen, having failed in their attempt to sign the 24-year-old last summer but it is unlikely the Super Eagles star would consider such a move at this stage of his career.
Osimhen is currently sidelined due to injury, having picked up a knock on international duty with the Super Eagles against Saudi Arabia and might now face a couple weeks without action.
This article was most recently revised and updated 2 weeks ago
