Chelsea’s Osimhen move imminent as Blues add Casadei to deal

Chelsea are reportedly close to agreeing a stunning deal for Victor Osimhen, which would involve two players heading to Napoli in exchange, reports mirror.co.uk.

The Blues have been hunting for a new striker all summer and have stepped up their efforts to sign Osimhen after a move for Atletico Madrid’s Samu Omorodion collapsed at the 11th hour.
 
Osimhen, 25, has asked to leave Napoli, who are eager to sign Romelu Lukaku as his successor. Consequently, Chelsea are trying to use the Belgian as a bargaining chip to reduce Osimhen’s price tag, thought to be around £100 million.

However, Lukaku isn’t the only player Chelsea have proposed to Napoli, midfielder Cesare Casadei is reportedly now involved in the talks. According to The Sun, the West London club could spend just £39 million on Osimhen, with Lukaku and Casadei moving in the opposite direction as part of the deal.  

Napoli manager Antonio Conte is eager to reunite with Lukaku, who he previously managed at Inter Milan. The forward is training with Chelsea’s reserves while his future hangs in the balance. The Blues are keen to offload his £325,000-a-week salary but have been holding out for a £37m bid – a sum that will have been used to negotiate down the fee in the Osimhen discussions.

Lukaku’s imminent exit isn’t a shock, but that isn’t the case for fellow potential makeweight Casadei. The 21-year-old Italian was one of the first signings of the Todd Boehly era and was tipped to make a significant impact in west London. He had previously excelled in Inter Milan’s academy and was once touted by Maurizio Viscidi as potentially “better than Nicolo Barella.”

However, his performances in England haven’t been quite as impressive, whether through sporadic appearances for