Napoli signaled they’d no longer wait for Victor Osimhen to leave to launch their offensive for Romelu Lukaku and moved into action, tabling their opening offer for the veteran striker, Gianluca Di Marzio informs.
The Partenopei have tendered €25M plus €5M add-ons. They are waiting for an answer from Chelsea. They are currently engaged in complicated talks with Atletico Madrid involving Conor Gallagher, Joao Felix, and Samu Omorodion.
The Blues would rather Napoli or other suitors activate the €43M release clause present in the contract of Lukaku. The bid falls well short of that. It’s unlikely to be accepted. However, it’ll be the start of the negotiation. The Belgian striker reportedly turned down going to Aston Villa, which proposed €35M. There wouldn’t be issues with his personal terms.
If the response from London were negative, the Azzurri would use the money to seal the David Neres deal, which they set up in recent days. Then, they’d evaluate what to do up front later in the window.
Our Take on Napoli and Lukaku
It’s a decent offer, and a significant deviation from the strategy they have had in recent years, considering his age, his not-so-stellar spell at Roma, and the fact that Chelsea would get rid of a cumbersome salary. Neres is a strange target to begin with given their needs, even more so if he’s an alternative to a center-forward. Perhaps it’s just a matter of budget and timing.
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Am tired of this Victor Osimehn saga