Victor Osimhen to Chelsea transfer stance revealed as Enzo Maresca faces 'easy' £60m decision

John Obi Mikel has revealed whether Victor Osimhen wants to join Chelsea. The Napoli striker was heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge in the summer, but a deal collapsed at the eleventh hour, so he joined Galatasaray on loan instead.

football.london understands that the Blues submitted a bid for Osimhen in the final days of the summer transfer window. It's believed that Chelsea wanted to sign the Nigerian international on a season-long loan, which included an obligation-to-buy clause.

Despite the west Londoners' best efforts, they couldn't reach an agreement with the Italian giants before the deadline. So, Osimhen snubbed an 'extortionate' offer from Al-Ahli and joined Galatasaray, having already been exiled by Antonio Conte.

Osimhen, who sees his contract at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium expire in June 2026, has featured 26 times in the Süper Lig this season, scoring 22 goals and providing five assists. Playing a key role in Okan Buruk's side, he's helped the Turkish giants climb to the top of the table.

With five games to go, Galatasaray are five points clear of Fenerbahçe in second. The £60m-rated striker's impressive performances haven't gone under the radar, with a few top clubs still keen on securing his signature.

In fact, according to Mikel, Osimhen has his heart set on a move to Chelsea. Speaking on beIN SPORTS following Liverpool's 5-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon, the former Blues midfielder provided an update on his fellow countryman's situation.

"He wants to play for Chelsea," said Mikel. "I know where we stopped in terms of the contract, I know where we are. It’s an easy fix, because we’ve done all the hard work last summer."

Earlier this month, Mikel revealed that Osimhen grew up supporting Chelsea. Speaking on The Obi One Podcast, the former Blues midfielder added: "He has options, even now when I talk to him he has options, loads of options.

"For me, it’s going to be really sad if we don’t get a player who supported the club a kid growing up and wants to play for us, wants to play for this football club."

When asked if he Osimhen could miss out on a move to Chelsea, Mikel said: "Listen, I hope it happens because I can see great things happening. I can see a great partnership happening, I can see a player coming in and becoming a massive legend for this football club.

"Make no mistake, if Victor Osimhen comes to Chelsea he will want to break records, he will want to put himself top, top [up] there. His idol is [Didier] Drogba, he will want to go after his record, he will want to score goals, win us trophies, get us back to the top.

"That would be his mission. His hunger when he plays, the ambition when he plays is something that few players have, the arrogance he has, the feistiness he has that you need to be able to succeed in the Premier League as a top striker.

"So for me I can see a great partnership happening," added Mikel. "I’ve said what I have to say, I’ve done my part, if the club chose not to pursue it… fair enough. The player has so many options, good luck to him, good luck to Chelsea, if it doesn’t happen it doesn’t happen.

"But the good thing about it is we know exactly where we stopped [during negotiations last summer], there’s not much in it. We can pick it back up, get the player straight in the door. Get him in, because we know where we’ve stopped."

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