Victor Osimhen to Chelsea transfer hope clear amid huge £65m announcement and unexpected clause

Chelsea still have some hope of completing a Victor Osimhen transfer despite his long-awaited permanent move from Napoli to Galatasaray being confirmed on Thursday.

The 26-year-old spent last season on loan at the Turkish giants and helped them win a domestic double through scoring 37 goals. Unsurprisingly, with the Nigeria international not part of Napoli's plans under Antonio Conte, there was an eagerness amongst both parties for a return.

The Italian champions' stance was very clear though as they wanted his €75million (£67.4m) release clause paid in full which resulted in multiple bids being rejected. Links to Juventus and Chelsea did arrive but the latter's focus was elsewhere.

Instead, the Blues opted to bring in Joao Pedro as their second striker signing that summer following Liam Delap's early summer move from Ipswich Town.

With minimal concrete interest from elsewhere, Napoli softened their stance which saw a financial compromise reached between themselves and Galatasaray.

While Galatasaray must still hit Napoli's valuation, they will do so in two instalments with €40million (£34.6m) to be paid upfront and the remaining funds to arrive in 12 months. After passing his medical, Osimhen's return to the champions of Turkiye has been announced.

A very specific clause has also been added into the deal which prevents Galatasaray from selling Osimhen to one of Napoli's Serie A rivals in the next two years. That could give Chelsea an edge over several clubs if Galatasaray need to sell and a gap opens up in Enzo Maresca's squad - and would lessen the competition for the player should he decide to seek another move.

Nicolas Jackson's uncertain future makes that a real possibility and Noni Madueke's £52million move to Arsenal shows that only a select few Chelsea stars are untouchable. However, given his age, a future switch to Stamford Bridge does seem unlikely.

That has been further evidenced by Chelsea making moves for 22-year-old Xavi Simons and 19-year-old Jorrel Hato. The Dutch duo are both open to joining with an agreement for the latter all but wrapped up which will see the Blues pay Ajax in the region of £37million.

The teenager is able to provide cover in the centre of defence and at left-back. Simons meanwhile, can play in several attacking positions with a fluid system likely required for both he and Cole Palmer to be deployed in the same starting XI.

Maresca will also be aiming to give plenty of minutes to the likes of Jamie Gittens, Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez. With several arrivals confirmed and more in the works, further outgoings will be needed alongside Joao Felix's switch to Al-Nassr which was confirmed earlier this week.

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