Chelsea are tracking Victor Osimhen’s current situation at Napoli after the Serie A club mocked the striker on social media for missing a penalty, according to talkSPORT.
The report claims that the Blues have been long-term admirers of the Nigeria international and could use the fallout to step up their interest as Mauricio Pochettino eyes new forward to bolster his squad.
Osimhen’s agent Roberto Calenda has threatened to take legal action against Napoli after they shared a video on their TikTok account that mocked the striker for his penalty miss in the goalless draw against Bologna on Sunday.
His agent Roberto Calenda wrote on Twitter as quoted by talkSPORT:
“What happened today on Napoli’s official profile on the TikTok platform is not acceptable. A video mocking Victor was first made public and then, but now belatedly, deleted,”
“A serious fact that causes very serious damage to the player and adds to the treatment that the boy is suffering in the last period between media trials and fake news.”
“We reserve the right to take legal action and any useful initiative to protect Victor”.
The post has been deleted but the ramifications could still be serious and Osimhen has seemingly deleted all photos of himself in a Napoli shirt from his Instagram account.
The 24-year-old was unhappy after he was replaced in the 86th minute of the game and was seen questioning his manager Rudi Garcia. He has scored three goals and provided one assist in six games in all competitions for Napoli this campaign.
Attacking reinforcement
Chelsea are lining up January move for a striker and several players have been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge including Osimhen and Brentford’s Ivan Toney.
According to talkSPORT, the Bees would offload the England international for £60m but interest from Arsenal and other clubs could see the figure rise to nearer £80m, hence the Blues are keeping their options open.
Osimhen joined Napoli from Ligue 1 side Lille in the summer of 2020 and he was integral to helping them win a first Serie A title in 33 years last season. He scored 26 goals in 32 league appearances and also finished the campaign as the league’s top goalscorer.
He was heavily linked with Chelsea and Manchester United this summer but opted to stay at Naples. The versatile forward is valued at £104m by Transfermarkt and Chelsea are now eyeing a move ahead of the winter window.
