BREAKING: Victor Osimhen could miss seven Chelsea games if £64m transfer is completed
Chelsea could be facing a nightmare scenario in January if the transfer of Victor Osimhen from Napoli is rubber-stamped this summer. The Blues have been long-term admirers of the 26-year-old, now available at a £64million (€75m) release clause, and with hope an experienced striker joins, he may finally seal a Stamford Bridge switch.
Liam Delap has already signed for Chelsea this summer with the 22-year-old making an immediate impact on his debut by grabbing a great assist in their 2-0 Club World Cup win over Los Angeles FC.
His arrival now means Nicolas Jackson finally has some help up top, after two seasons managing the burden of being Chelsea’s striker alone.
The Chelsea boss has been clear on his desire to bring in more experience and yet, Hugo Ekitike, 22, appears to be the most likely striker that joins in addition to Delap and Jackson, who are both under 24.
Eintracht Frankfurt, having qualified for the Champions League, are demanding £85million (€100m) to sell him with Manchester United and Liverpool keeping tabs on his situation.
With so much competition for his signature, coupled with Osimhen’s experience and cheaper asking price, it could make more sense to pursue his services over Ekitike.
If Chelsea go down that route, however, a nightmare scenario will emerge later in the season with it likely two of their three strikers are unavailable. Due to the Africa Cup of Nations taking place throughout December and January, several Premier League stars will be representing their respective nations and thus will be absent for their clubs.
Jackson will likely be starting up top for Senegal, while Osimhen and Nigeria will be aiming to go one better after losing in the final last time round.
At a minimum, both would miss home games against Aston Villa and Bournemouth as group stage matches are scheduled for late December. A trip to Manchester City is the Blues’ first game of 2026 and even if an early exit is sealed, being back and ready for that game just 72 hours later is unlikely.
Nigeria and Senegal are both expected to advance well and could very easily go all the way with the worst-case scenario being that the duo would remain out of the country until Sunday, January 18.
Between that date and the Man City match are Premier League outings against Fulham and Brentford. The FA Cup third round is also scheduled on the calendar for the weekend commencing January 10 with the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg set for the following week.
It is not known if Chelsea will be in the latter at this point but, if they are, that could be up to seven games missed by both. It is plausible the two meet early into the knockout rounds which would then at least guarantee one early return.
As Ekitike will be available for that period, barring injury or suspension, that could prove to be a major factor when it comes to formalising a would-be pursuit of Osimhen.