Mark Ogden has been on ESPN this morning talking about the Romelu Lukaku – Victor Osimhen deal which has been discussed in the media in the last few days.
He’s relatively positive on the deal, claiming it makes sense for both parties. Lukaku is sold, getting him off Chelsea’s books, while Osimhen is just loaned in return, giving Chelsea another year to generate the money to buy him outright.
“So the way that this deal can get done is if Lukaku goes to Napoli, then Osimhen would go to Chelsea on loan with a view to a permanent deal. I do think that, in terms of the logistical deal, it makes a lot of sense. Chelsea, for all they’ve spent over the last two years, they haven’t really signed a striker, so Osimhen would work for Chelsea.”
Chelsea can let the deal walk into them
We’re inclined to agree – purely in theory, it works out all around.
The question would be how the purchase at the end of the loan would be arranged. On the one hand, Napoli will want to make sure they have the guaranteed income of a pre-arranged price. On the other hand, they will want to leave the opportunity open for him to do really well and increase his value.
The striker’s salary is also a massive problem. Osimhen has been relatively underpaid at Napoli relative to his status as a top striker, and will now want to reverse that situation. Chelsea aren’t going to break their wage structure for him however, and it’s hard to see an arrangement which suits both parties.
This is a situation which is walking in to Chelsea however – as the summer passes day by day, Osimhen gets more itchy to leave and Napoli keener to sell and replace him. If we’re patient, demands might become flexible enough that we’re able to make something happen.
