Plans for a swap deal between Napoli and Chelsea for Osmeen and Romelu Lukaku have officially collapsed, according to a new report from La Gazzetta dello Sport, but that hasn't stopped Napoli's obsessive pursuit of signing Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku.
Originally, the two clubs attempted to solve their respective needs by means of a player swap, whereby Napoli sent Osmeen in exchange for Chelsea's Romelu Lukaku. However, this complicated trade proposal ultimately failed to take shape due to Osmeen's own refusal to join Chelsea on loan.
Nevertheless, Napoli have not given up hope of bringing in Lukaku, and they have once again launched an offensive against Chelsea in an attempt to sign the Belgian international directly. Chelsea is open to Lukaku's departure, and is willing to give a certain discount on the 44 million euros release clause in the player's contract, and the current proposed price is 40 million euros.
However, Napoli president De Laurentiis has expressed dissatisfaction with the price, which is far beyond his expectations. According to reports, Napoli is only willing to pay a fixed transfer fee of 25 million euros, and would like to discuss with Chelsea a payment plan that includes a fixed transfer fee and a generous floating bonus. Such a proposal aims to both meet the financial needs of Chelsea, but also to a certain extent to reduce the burden of Napoli.
Meanwhile, Osmeen's future remains up in the air. Currently, only Paris Saint-Germain and Saudi Arabian clubs are still trying to bring in the Nigerian striker. Notably, with Osmeen having been left out of manager Antonio Conte's warm-up roster, Napoli are rushing to send him away on a permanent transfer in order to make room for a reshuffling of the squad for the new season.
