Chelsea willing to pay £100 million for top attacking target

Chelsea welcome Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge when the Premier League returns at the start of April. 

The Blues currently sit tenth in the table but are only ahead of 11th-placed Villa on goal difference.

With 11 points between them and fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, it looks increasingly likely that Graham Potter’s side will have to win the Champions League this season if they are to qualify for next term’s competition.

Despite spending more than £500 million since taking charge of the club last summer, it appears that Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is once again ready to splash out this summer.

According to Football Insider, The Blues are prepared to pay more than £100 million to land Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.

The Nigeria international has been in sensational form this season, scoring 21 goals in 23 league matches to help propel Napoli to the summit of Serie A.

Osimhen could be the subject of a huge offer from Chelsea when the transfer window opens this summer

The striker’s performances haven’t gone unnoticed, though, and Chelsea are believed to be one of a number of clubs showing an interest in him.

Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Real Madrid are also said to be interested in the 24-year-old.

It is claimed that the London side are aware that failure to qualify for Europe’s top club competition would put them at a disadvantage in talks with the player, but they are willing to spend big an enter a bidding war to land the forward.

Osimhen joined the Italian side from French club Lille in 2020 and has since scored 53 goals in 91 matches across all competitions.

Manager Potter is said to be keen to add a prolific striker to his squad ahead of next season and Osimhen fits the bill, with the ex-Wolfsburg man potentially set to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who faces an increasingly uncertain future at Stamford Bridge.

The ex-Arsenal man was left out of Chelsea’s squad for the knockout stages of the Champions League and it has been rumoured that The Blues will terminate his contract at the end of the current season, just a year after he first joined.