Chelsea eyeing £42m striker likened to Haaland as cheap Osimhen alternative

Chelsea eyeing £42m striker likened to Haaland as cheap Osimhen alternative

Chelsea are said to be eyeing a £42 million striker likened to Erling Haaland as a cheaper alternative to Victor Osimhen this summer.

Chelsea targeting prolific new forward despite PSR concerns

A lot of news has come to light recently concerning Chelsea’s potential inability to comply with Profit and Sustainability rules.

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The Blues need to balance their books this summer.

As explained by Telegraph journalist Matt Law recently, some of Chelsea’s rivals even believe that they must raise £100 million through player sales by June 30, or risk being too far in the hole.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side have pumped significant funds into the squad since Clearlake Capital’s takeover in 2022, spending over £400 million on new signings last summer alone.

Their total outlay from the last two years exceeds £1 billion, which is an absolutely crazy sum in just 24 months. Despite their financial worries, reliable journalists like Fabrizio Romano claim Chelsea are very much still on the hunt for a new striker this summer, and could move for the likes of Victor Osimhen if it’s deemed a feasible transfer.

“I think Chelsea will be there,” the transfer expert said. “The interest is still there. It is really important to understand what is happening; first of all with the FFP situation because Chelsea do not want to overpay, so it is important to know how much the package is going to be for Victor Osimhen.

Chelsea’s top goalscorers in the league this season

Goals

Cole Palmer

16

Nicolas Jackson

9

Raheem Sterling

6

Mykhailo Mudryk

4

Conor Gallagher

3

“We already know about the release clause between €120m-€130m with Napoli so Chelsea and other clubs are waiting to see if Napoli can be flexible but usually with their president, De Laurentiis, it is usually very tough to go there and negotiate, especially for a fantastic player like Victor Osimhen.

“It will then be important to see how much Osimhen wants in terms of salary and his contract. So there are some crucial financial points to sort out before Chelsea can say ‘ok’ and go for Osimhen.”

Given the potential cost of signing the Nigerian, which doesn’t even include his wage demands, it’s good policy for Chelsea to have alternatives. One of them, according to 90min, is RB Leipzig sensation Benjamin Sesko.

Chelsea eyeing Sesko as cheap Osimhen alternative

As per the report, Chelsea view Sesko as a cheaper alternative to Osimhen this summer, given he’ll cost around £42 million. However, they aren’t alone in their admiration of the 6 foot 4 front man, as many other sides are also monitoring his situation.

The Slovenia international, who has drawn comparisons with Haaland, has bagged 20 goals in all competitions for club and country.

“Benjamin Sesko is among the game’s top young talents and has enormous potential to become a top player,” said Leipzig technical director Christopher Vivell.

He has all the qualities to do that. He’s extremely quick, has a great jump on him and is strong in the air. Benjamin is a real goalscorer, who despite his 1.95m (6’4″) is mobile and technically strong. His abilities make him a special player with a special profile.”