Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has said Chelsea may not be successful in their pursuit of Napoli sharpshooter Victor Osimhen in the January transfer window.

Victor Osimhen Is Reportedly Chelsea’s Top Target For January

The Blues have struggled to find the back of the net this season and are eager to turn their fortunes around in the second half of the 2023-24 campaign. The 10th-ranked team in the Premier League, who have scored only 34 goals in 20 games this season, are reportedly keeping tabs on quite a few high-profile attackers, with Osimhen sitting at the top of their wishlist.

In a recent report, The Independent claimed that Osimhen’s new contract (until June 2026), which he signed with Napoli in December 2023, had a £120 million ($151.61 million) release clause, which the Pensioners could trigger to pull off the transfer.

Romano, however, does not think the clause can be activated this winter. According to the Italian, the buyout clause will not come into effect until the summer, as Osimhen and Napoli wish to stay together until the end of the 2023-24 season.

Osimhen Could Keep His Options Open In January, Says Fabrizio Romano

In his Daily Briefing column, Romano warned Chelsea fans about the complexity of the Osimhen deal. He further added that the Nigerian might not even sign a pre-agreement with the west Londoners as he could keep his options open for the summer.

He wrote:

“Everything is possible in life, but I still don’t think the Victor Osimhen deal will happen at all this January. After what happened with Enzo Fernandez last year you have to say anything is possible, but in that case there was a release clause, whereas here the situation is different as the release clause is only for the summer, not for January.

“I don’t see Osimhen leaving Napoli in January and I think his contract extension was part of the project between Osimhen and Napoli to continue together until the end of the season, and then to maybe leave in the summer.”

Romano added:

“Of course, it could be that clubs like Chelsea try to reach a pre-agreement on personal terms in January, but I don’t think it’s going to be easy, I don’t think it’s guaranteed that he will commit to anything in January. We know in football that six months is like six years in other sports – many things can change, such as the coach, the directors…so I think he is going to take his time and it’s not going to be that easy to reach an agreement with Osimhen in January.”

Osimhen, who scored 26 goals in 32 matches to fire Napoli to Serie A glory last season, has been in excellent form this season as well. Playing 18 games in all competitions, he has scored eight times and provided three assists.