- May Renew Interest In Signing The Nigerian
Chelsea are reportedly eyeing up Napoli star, Victor Osimhen after scouts were left impressed with his match-winning performance against Roma in Serie A on Sunday.
The Nigerian forward netted the winning goal at the Stadio Olimpico after holding off former Manchester United defender Chris Smalling and then firing in a half-volley from a tight angle past Rui Patricio in the 80th minute.
Osimhen has become a crucial part of Luciano Spalletti’s side, and even though he has had an injury this season, he has still managed an impressive tally of four goals in seven league games so far.
His form has led to Premier League side Chelsea scouting him and have been ‘sent crazy’ by him, according to Calciomercato.com.
The report suggested that the Blues will be interested in signing the striker, but getting him out of Napoli will not be easy as club president Aurelio De Laurentiis will demand at least £87million for his prized asset.
The 23-year-old joined the Naples club in 2020 after a deal worth potentially £69.4m was agreed with Ligue 1 side Lille. Chelsea will face competition for the striker’s signature with Manchester United and Newcastle also believed to be in the running to sign him.
Meanwhile, Spalletti has described Osimhen’s solitary winner against Roma as an exceptional befitting a skilful player like the Nigerian.
Speaking after the match, Spalletti said: “Osimhen’s goal is a piece of top footballer’s skill, which he is. The mistake of five minutes earlier is a piece of lack of skill, the one five minutes earlier was easier. He kicked it very well on the goal, but I’ve seen him grow up a lot. He often wants to be a hero on every ball, but tonight he also waited for the player to support him and allowed us to develop many actions. The goal is exceptional, it must be said that Politano too has passed the ball to him very well.”
In a related development, the Italian media has praised the 23-year-old for his exceptional goal.
La Gazzetta dello Sport pointed to his goal when praising Osimhen’s performance, noting that “at Smalling’s first distraction, he scored a great goal, despite having little on offer.”
This sentiment was echoed by Corriere dello Sport, who were impressed with his ability to find the back of the net despite the difficulty of the chance, saying “he seems to have to systematically crash into Smalling and instead he stole time and space and then, almost without a corner, he found the goal.”
Tuttosport called Osimhen invaluable for his work on the pitch, exclaiming “how much is he worth!”
Credit: thenationonlineng.net
