Premier League giants Chelsea are reportedly set to reignite their interest in Nigeria international Victor Osimhen ahead of the reopening of the transfer window.
Osimhen is considering taking legal action against Napoli after the club posted a video on TikTok mocking him for missing a penalty during the second half of the goalless draw at Bologna last weekend.
Saudi Arabian clubs are also leading the pursuit of Victor Osimhen should he push for a move away from Napoli in January after his agent threatened legal action against the club over controversial TikTok videos.
Osimhen’s future has been plunged into doubt over TikTok videos published and since deleted by the reigning Italian champions.
It was a rare miss for the Nigerian who has scored 62 goals in 107 appearances for the Serie A side, yet the video appeared to mock him for his attempts to persuade for the penalty to be given.
The video showed the 24-year-old appealing for a penalty, but using a strange sped-up voice with the caption ‘Gimme penalty please’ before showing him blazing the spot-kick wide of the post.
A second video allegedly from the club’s account, which has been circulated online and since deleted, compared Osimhen to a ‘coconut’ – widely viewed as a racial slur.
Osimhen’s agent Roberto Calenda is threatening legal action against the club, with the rift adding to speculation he could push for a move away from the club.
Mail Sport understands Saudi Arabian clubs will lead the chase to land Osimhen should he be available in the January transfer window.
Saudi Pro League clubs spent heavily during the summer transfer window, attracting stars such as Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Aymeric Laporte to the nation.
Real Madrid also hold an interest in Osimhen as the Spanish giants seek reinforcements in attack after Benzema’s departure.
Midfielder Jude Bellingham currently leads the club’s goalscoring charts with six goals, followed by the two managed by veteran forward Joselu.
Chelsea are reported to hold an interest in the Osimhen, who fired Napoli to a first league title in over 30 years last season, amid their goalscoring woes.
The Blues have scored just five times in six matches this season, with three of those coming in one game against newly-promoted Luton.
Any pursuit by Chelsea would be complicated by a new wage structure introduced by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital following their takeover in 2022.
Chelsea’s owners have implemented an incentivised pay structure to player contracts linked to Champions League qualification that sees their wages fluctuate depending on whether they were playing in the competition.
The Blues have pursued longer contracts on significantly lower wages for new signings, despite forking out over £1billion in transfer fees across three windows.
