Chelsea and Napoli are not working on a swap deal between strikers, Victor Osimhen and Romelu Lukaku at this very moment, according to Italian transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano.
There were suggestions in La Gazzetta dello Sport that the Partenopei were open to the possibility but would need Chelsea to pay €80 to €90m cash on top of the Belgian’s transfer to get hold of the Nigerian international.
This is because Lukaku is valued at €38m and Osimhen has a release clause believed to be worth €120-130m.
However, Romano insists that while Napoli might be open to it, Chelsea are not and are looking towards other targets instead.
“Chelsea and Napoli are currently not working on swap deal between Victor Osimhen and Romelu Lukaku. CFC insist on £38m release clause for any club keen on signing Lukaku this summer,” Romano posted.
This does leave the Blues with a problem as the 31-year-old will return to Stamford Bridge after his loan experience at Roma and finding a buyer for €38m who also suits the Belgian’s requirements is going to be tricky.
Napoli had inevitably been linked with a bid for Lukaku after the decision to appoint Antonio Conte, who already got the best out of the big centre-forward at Inter Milan.
Despite Napoli’s disappointing season, Osimhen finished as the team’s leading scorer, tallying 17 goals and four assists in 32 games across all competitions.
