Napoli are open to negotiating a loan deal that would send Victor Osimhen to Chelsea for the upcoming season, with Romelu Lukaku joining the Italian club on a permanent transfer.
Chelsea have long been admirers of Osimhen's talents, but have no desire to trigger his release clause, believed to be around €130m.
Osimhen close to joining Chelsea in swap deal
🚨 Napoli in ongoing talks with Chelsea to sign Romelu Lukaku while discussions between #SSCNapoli & #CFC also taking place about move for Victor Osimhen in opposite direction. Lukaku would be permanent, Osimhen season-long loan + buy option @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/9YTNV3sN7V
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) July 30, 2024
This proposed swap deal could benefit both parties, as Napoli are eager to sign Lukaku and reunite him with their new head coach, Antonio Conte, who he previously worked with at Inter.
Lukaku, 31, spent last season on loan at Roma, scoring 21 goals in 47 appearances. However, his most prolific period came under Conte's guidance at Inter, where he netted 34 and 30 goals in consecutive seasons.
Napoli, meanwhile, are willing to part with Osimhen, who has scored 76 goals in 133 appearances since joining from Lille in 2020.
Although he scored 15 goals last season, his impact was more significant the previous year, contributing 26 goals as Napoli won their first Scudetto since 1990.
The Athletic reports that the deal would be a season-long loan with a buy option.
Osimhen was reportedly closer to joining French giants Paris Saint-Germain but the Ligue 1 side refused to trigger the clause and have reportedly walked away from the deal.