Napoli sensation Victor Osimhen has responded to his call to join Chelsea. The formidable striker has left the door open to a potential move to the Premier League. This comes after John Obi Mikel pleaded with him to make the switch to Chelsea.
Osimhen has previously attracted interest from both Chelsea and Manchester United in the summer. The The 24-year-old however opted to remain at Napoli after he played a key role in their title-winning Serie A season.
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Osimhen has established himself as one of the top strikers in Europe with 65 goals in 111 appearances for Napoli.
And former Chelsea midfielder Mikel is desperate for his compatriot Osimhen to join Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
‘We’re crying out for him,’ Mikel said on The Obi One Podcast.
‘You look at our Chelsea team, we’re not playing that great at the minute but then we lack goals. We lack a striker who can run into spaces, who can create.
‘I was watching Darwin Nunez for Liverpool, he had about 11 shots and all the runs he made. He created those chances by himself because he was running in behind.
‘That’s something Victor will give us at Chelsea. A striker who is really willing to run behind, obviously those passes will come through and he will get goals.
‘I think we’re crying out for goals. If he comes to Chelsea I think it will suit him really well because we don’t have anyone doing that right now. So there’s not going to be too much pressure on him coming into the club because obviously we need that. We’re crying out for that.
‘You know, my advice is for him to come to Chelsea.’
Osimhen was a guest on Mikel’s podcast. The striker suggested that he would only move to another European club after Napoli. National Daily recalls that the Nigerian recently turned down an offer to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in the summer.
Asked if he wants to continue playing in Europe, Osimhen said: ‘Of course.
‘What was said was true, I had talks, in August that week was a huge one, a huge decision for me to take, but I actually put it in God’s hands.
‘But the more I said no to these people [in Saudi Arabia] the more they increased it and increased it, it was literally like, ‘wow’, seeing these things.
‘I spoke with the people in charge and we spoke about it with my club and we saw what we could do, we decided, me and them and I told them, ‘I like these people, I want to stay, I don’t think I want to leave for now’. They understand where I’m coming from but they never gave up until their own transfer window [closed].
‘I said to them even before we played the first game of the season, ‘it’s done’, I really didn’t want to go back thinking, of course it’s a huge one, an amazing one that’s going to change my life but of course I had to make the decision that’s good for my career too.
‘As much as we play football for money there’s more that comes with it.’