Elite striker is now 50% off – but Chelsea may be content with cheap Jackson alternative | OneFootball

Victor Osimhen is banging them in for Galatasaray on loan, but his intention seems to be a return to Europe’s elite next summer.

The 25 year old is one of the top number 9s in the world, and plenty of top teams have been interested. Napoli priced them all out of the race last year, but since then a lack of interest is forcing them to reconsider their demands.

According to Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing, Osimhen’s price is now €75m, around half of the peak quotes we were hearing quoted by many sources not too long ago.

Bit by bit, the Nigeria star is becoming more affordable. The total failure to sell him last summer will have shaken Napoli, who would rather cash in now than see another window tick by with their top asset’s price tumbling. Eventually a team will bite – but will it be Chelsea?

Victor Osimhen waves to the Galatasaray fans (Photo by Ahmad Mora/Getty Images)

Chelsea drifting further from Osimhen deal – but may be tempted if price hits rock bottom

Since the summer – and certainly since the summer of 2023, where we really felt like we were pushing for him – things have changed a little however. Nicolas Jackson’s development has been so rapid and so impressive that the idea of signing a new striker went from essential, to questionable, to possibly entirely unnecessary.

It will be a very interesting dilemma as Osimhen’s price continues to come down – do the sporting directors ever get tempted to swoop for an elite option and risk damaging Jackson’s progress?

An alternate to Jackson is certainly needed, but the focus now seems to be on finding a player in a similar mould, with low wage demands and lots of potential for growth (or profit) rather than finally paying up for a superstar like Osimhen.