Chelsea could sell £425k-p/w worth of talent to fund Osimhen move

Chelsea could sell £425k-p/w worth of talent to fund Osimhen move

There is little doubt that this summer, Chelsea need to sign a striker. They have been poor in front of goal, creating plenty of chances thanks to the likes of Cole Palmer, but have simply failed to score enough.

In total, the Blues have created 99 big chances in the Premier League this season, but have missed 59 of them, as per Sofascore. Only Liverpool with 66, Manchester City with 64 and Brentford with 60 have missed more big chances than Chelsea this season.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino has trialled several different options upfront. Nicolas Jackson has done reasonably well in his debut Premier League campaign, scoring ten Premier League goals so far.

Christopher Nkunku has been ravaged by injuries in his first season at Stamford Bridge and has barely played this season. The likes of Palmer have also played up front at times but is having great success elsewhere that it seems a poor decision to to play him at centre-forward.

The man Chelsea are reportedly targeting to lead their line next season is Victor Osimhen. However, according to Goal.com, the Nigerian forward is also wanted by PSG, who are reportedly close to signing him for £103m.

Certainly, if Chelsea can sign Osimhen, he would be a major improvement to their side. He is having another wonderful season, with 13 goals and three assists in just 20 Serie A games so far this season, backing up his superb 2022/23 campaign when he scored 26 goals in the league.

Osimhen is a classic centre-forward, who has brilliant instinct in front of goal, which shows in the goals he has scored this season.

According to Fbref, his 7.12 touches in the opposition penalty area are some of the best in Europe, placing him in the top 6% among fellow strikers. He also ranks high for shot-creating actions, with 0.55 per 90 minutes placing him in the top 3%. He is a player who will get you goals or create opportunities in the box, exactly what Chelsea have been missing.

At just 25 years old, Osimhen is a perfect age profile for Chelsea to build around. He could well go on to be their striker for the next seven years and take them back to the highest of top-level European football.

However, the big issue for Chelsea is raising the funds to purchase Osimhen. According to reports, there are three players that the club is willing to move on to afford the striker next summer, who are on a combined £425k-per-week, according to Capology.

Conor Gallagher

Despite a key role played by Conor Gallagher in the heart of the Chelsea midfield this season, he could well leave the Blues, which would help them fund a move for Osimhen. According to Sky Sports Dharmesh Sheth, via GiveMeSport, Chelsea might have to move Gallagher on due to tight FFP restrictions.

As per Caught Offside, Gallagher is of interest to Tottenham, and the north London side could move for the England international should he leave Stamford Bridge in the summer. However, it could be an expensive deal, with Gallagher valued at around £68m according to CIES Football Observatory.

In selling Gallagher, not only would Chelsea lose a leader, but also a midfield engine. He is wonderful out of possession and is a relentless presser. According to Fbref, Gallagher wins 0.53 final third tackles, placing him in the top 3% of midfielders in Europe. On the ball, Gallagher’s final third creativity is underrated, and the 1.51 key passes he makes on average per game ranks him in the 80th percentile.

Should Chelsea sell Gallagher, they would be losing a very versatile midfielder, able to play in a box-to-box role or as a number 10. Regardless, FFP may leave them with no choice, and it would also help as they look to sign Osimhen.

Trevoh Chalobah

Another Cobham product, Trevoh Chalobah, is linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge next summer, too. In an interview with GiveMeSport, journalist Ben Jacobs explained that the defender’s future is “in his hands”.

Chalobah actually turned down the chance to join Nottingham Forest last summer according to Fabrizio Romano, in a deal worth £25m, with the player favouring a move to Bayern Munich, although that deal also collapsed.

24-year-old Chalobah is a versatile defender, who can play anywhere across the backline. He is superb on the ball, and according to Fbref, the 65.45 passes he completed per game places him in the top 14% of centre-backs on the continent.

Not only that, Chalobah is a good carrier, and averages one progressive carry per game, which puts him in the top 20%, and 0.55 successful take-ons, ranking him in the top 7% of centre-backs.

Chalobah’s versatility could be something that Chelsea miss, as they can call upon him to do several tasks to a high level. However, it may well be the case he also moves on to help with FFP and to fund the signing of Osimhen.

Romelu Lukaku

Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad are allegedly interested in taking Belgium’s record goalscorer Romelu Lukaku off Chelsea’s hands this summer on a permanent deal.

Since his big-money return to the club in 2021, Lukaku’s career at Chelsea took a nosedive and he never really found his feet at Stamford Bridge. The bulky striker scored just 15 goals during his second spell at the club, before being loaned out to Inter and, this season, Roma.

The Belgian is having a better campaign in front of goal in Rome. In 40 games, Lukaku has scored 18 goals so far, including seven in ten Europa League games, with four assists along the way.

According to CIES Football Observatory, Lukaku is now valued at just £25.6m, over £70m less than what Chelsea paid for him in the first place. Selling the striker certainly seems like a good piece of business, even if they only recoup a fraction of the fee they paid for him when they brought him back to the club in 2021.

Certainly, Chelsea could well look to move Gallagher, Chalobah and Lukaku on this summer, in the hope of bringing in Osimhen. There is no doubt the 25-year-old would improve their side, and Todd Boehly needs all the funds possible to sign him ahead of PSG.

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