Club owner confirms 24-year-old is now close to signing new contract in blow to Chelsea

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It now looks highly unlikely that Chelsea will sign Napoli striker Victor Osimhen in January.

Napoli owner and president Aurelio De Laurentiis gave an update on Victor Osimhen‘s future at an event for the Campania Felix award, with Goal picking up the 74-year-old’s words.

Chelsea are interested in Osimhen as they look to bring in a new striker in January and a bid for the Nigerian in the winter transfer window had looked possible.

However, a new deal would probably wipe out any chance the Blues had of landing him.

TEAMtalk reported towards the end of last month that intermediaries were trying to convince Osimhen to move to Stamford Bridge and that Chelsea could push to sign the 24-year-old in January.

Aurelio De Laurentiis gives Victor Osimhen contract update

De Laurentiis has suggested that Osimhen could put pen to paper on a contract extension very soon in a blow to Chelsea and other suitors.

“For Osimhen we are at the signing stage which had been pending since the summer,” the Napoli owner was quoted as saying by Goal.

Will Victor Osimhen’s new contract take him completely off the market?

We doubt that. All it would probably do is delay a sale until the summer or perhaps the one after that at the latest.

Back in September, Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano claimed on his YouTube channel that any new deal Osimhen signed would likely include a release clause in it.

If that does turn out to be the case, then the Nigeria international is likely to leave Napoli in the near future.

He is an incredible striker. Someone would trigger it, with Chelsea obviously being one candidate.

Osimhen was in brilliant form for his side last season, scoring 26 goals in 32 league appearances to help them win the Serie A title. It is no wonder, then, that the Blues are chasing the former Lille man. He could be the answer to their problems.