Chelsea given Victor Osimhen transfer boost as rivals tipped to pursue Man City star instead
09/05/2024 13:04
Chelsea may have been handed a transfer boost ahead of this summer as it looks like Paris Saint-Germain won't be prioritising a move for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.
The Blues could do with replacing the unconvincing Nicolas Jackson with a more proven centre-forward this summer, and if they can avoid a bidding war with a big name like PSG that would surely be ideal.
Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing column, French football expert Jonathan Johnson discussed PSG's interest in Osimhen, and admitted that, although the Nigeria international is a player who's been on their radar, he doesn't really make sense as being a priority for the Ligue 1 giants this summer.
Johnson believes PSG will instead focus on other areas of their squad, with Manchester City playmaker Bernardo Silva named as someone who seems more like the kind of profile the club are looking for.
Given that Osimhen has been linked with Chelsea by Gianluca di Marzio, this seems like encouraging news that could help bring the 25-year-old to Stamford Bridge.
Osimhen transfer: Could Chelsea be more likely than PSG?
"Victor Osimhen to PSG is another story making the headlines at the moment, and while I don't know if he'd be their absolute priority target, he certainly is a name that they've looked at, along with Benjamin Sesko," Johnson said.
"With Mbappe leaving, there's a few players PSG have looked at to strengthen in attack, but I think at the same time, as we've seen from PSG in the Champions League this season, a new striker is not necessarily a priority. PSG's main problems are not necessarily through the middle – Goncalo Ramos has shown enough form (despite not being able to find the target against Borussia Dortmund) that he could be the man to be PSG's number 9. He's shown he can score goals, netting 14 in all competitions so far this season.
"So when you look at what PSG already have in attack, not only with Ramos as the focal point but also with Randal Kolo Muani as an option at central striker, plus Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola and Marco Asensio out wide, I don't think that a new number 9 like Osimhen solves the issue of replacing Mbappe.
"A bigger issue is some of the build-up play. In midfield, I think, and most people are in agreement, one other midfielder to go alongside Vitinha and Warren Zaire-Emery probably makes sense. There's been long-standing links with Bernardo Silva and I think that kind of profile could be interesting, because even though this relatively young PSG squad was capable of going far in the Champions League this season, a little bit more experience could still be very useful.
"So, overall I think names like Bernardo Silva and Bruno Guimaraes, that kind of profile, could come up higher on PSG's list than someone like Osimhen. Silva and Guimaraes are also two players who know the French league quite well, so while I wouldn't completely rule PSG out of the race for Osimhen at this moment in time, I wouldn't necessarily put him at the front of the queue either. I think PSG will feel they have other needs in other positions ahead of the number 9 position."
The post Chelsea given Victor Osimhen transfer boost as rivals tipped to pursue Man City star instead appeared first on CaughtOffside.
