How do you replace a center forward with 76 goals in 132 appearances? Well, maybe with one of 69 in 128 Serie A games. We’re not giving numbers, it’s simply the comparison between what Victor Osimhen did in four seasons with the Napoli shirt and Romelu Lukaku in four Serie A championships between Inter and Rome. The hypothesis at the moment is more of a suggestion and nothing more. But the conditions for this game to become a negotiation are there and the paths of the two center forwards would become linked to each other if Osimhen managed to obtain what he has wanted since he was a child: to wear the Chelsea shirt.
Idea
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Victor grew up in Nigeria dreaming of emulating the career of Didier Drogba, someone who won everything he could in London wearing a Blues shirt, bringing African pride around the world. And in this Osimhen is also a man on a mission: this year he has already emulated his mentor by winning the African Ballon d’Or. Then, during the Africa Cup of Nations, he had the opportunity to meet him several times in the Ivory Coast and who knows how much chatter about Chelsea: the English club is in the running for Osimhen, but failure to qualify for the next Champions League could be a limit huge in the race for the Nigerian. An unfavorable condition that risks putting Napoli in crisis too: Jonathan David and Santiago Gimenez were the first targets, but without the Champions League they are destined for other shores. So why not seriously evaluate the position of Lukaku, who Chelsea wants to sell after years of tantrums and misunderstandings? Roma still make the difference in Italy and, if they arrive on Conte’s bench, they would become the primary objective for the attack. After all, the numbers speak for themselves and someone like Romelu would come back to inflame Maradona.
The plot
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Chelsea is willing to include Lukaku’s card in the offer to be presented to Napoli for Osimhen, who would instead leave without having to discuss with Aurelio De Laurentiis in exchange for the payment of the release clause of around 130 million euros. Money that Chelsea could invest, but then still find themselves dealing with the Lukaku problem. And then, today both Chelsea and PSG would like to negotiate with Napoli to try to lower the clause so as not to be forced to pay the sum due in a single solution. De Laurentiis, as mentioned, would still have the problem of looking for a new center forward. Of course, Lukaku has a high salary but already at Roma he has lowered his demands and receives less than Osimhen (net…), but it is clear that it could and should be discussed. Certainly, for Napoli it would be a sure shot: even in a lackluster year like this, Romelu has already scored 20 goals in the championship and cups.
Dovbyk on pole
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Lukaku remains a suggestion today, then we’ll see. What is certain is that next year Napoli will no longer have Osimhen at the center of the attack, the masked superhero who brought the Azzurri back to the roof of Italy after thirty-three years of waiting, reaching a record that not even Maradona managed : Scudetto with top scorer title. The negative season could also have an impact in some way on the race for Osimhen, certain of Napoli’s appeal at an international level. However, Artem Dovbyk remains a first choice who is very intrigued by the Napoli hypothesis and for Girona, after a magical year, he is in any case not untransferable. The top scorer of La Liga has been on the blue notebook for months and costing 40 million could be the ideal solution to open the new cycle. And the salary is in line with the Italian policy. Otherwise, always keep an eye on Mateo Retegui of Genoa and Kevin Denkey of Cercle Bruges, not two big names, but very interesting profiles. But betting is not recommended for Napoli today: this is why Lukaku must be taken into strong consideration. In Serie A one sentence remains.
