Enzo Maresca explains why Chelsea did not sign Victor Osimhen this summer

 

Chelsea pursued a deal for Victor Osimhen on the deadline day of the summer transfer window, but it did not happen, with the Nigerian remaining in Napoli.

Speaking after the Crystal Palace draw, Enzo Maresca responded to questions about the reasons behind the failure to sign the striker.

"We want players but we want players that we decide and then the condition has to be our condition," Maresca told a press conference.

"So if the players are not here, then that means the conditions were not good for us.

"Yeah, we’ll see now, from here to January. I don’t know how many games we have, but I’ve told you many times I like to focus on the next days. So we will see in January."

It looks to be a rare development where every side is a losing one: Chelsea did not get their main target, Osimhen did not get his desired move, and Napoli did not get the money they wanted for their biggest asset.

Now, Osimhen has been excluded from the Napoli squad, with his No.9 being given to Romelu Lukaku.

Chelsea offered Osimhen less than half of his Napoli salary - and 10 times less than Saudi offer