Osimhen to Chelsea: Is the Super Eagles striker really worth £120m?

Napoli reportedly want Chelsea to break their transfer record to sign Victor Osimhen but is the Nigerian striker worth that much to the Blues?

Multiple reports indicate that Chelsea are making moves to try to sign Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen from Napoli in the January transfer window.

Chelsea have struggled with filling the centre forward position over the years and even though current striker Nicholas Jackson has seven goals in 16 games across all competitions so far, the Blues could very much use Osimhen's world class ability.

Osimhen finished last season as the top scorer in Serie A with 26 goals, leading Napoli to a first Scudetto in 33 years in the process which recently earned him the AIC layer of the Year Award.

With that in mind, it is understandable that Napoli would want a gigantic transfer fee if at all they agree to let him go with reports estimating that they value him at £120 million.

This means that if Chelsea want to sign Osimhen, they would have to make him the most expensive player in the club's history and in English football by extension and it is worth asking if that is a wise decision.

Victor Osimhen to Chelsea?

There is no doubt that Chelsea can afford to match Napoli's £120 million valuation of Victor Osimhen, their transfer activity over the past 18 months proves that. 

The ownership led by Todd and Boehly and Baghdad Eghbali have spent over a billion pounds on a complete squad overhaul since they took the reins so they can definitely afford Osimhen.

But just because they have the money does not make it a wise decision which is what this article explores the pros and cons of shelling out that much on yet another player and if the player in question is even worth it to begin with.

Is Victor Osimhen worth £120 million?

Of course in a broader sense, Victor Osimhen is worth £120 million just going off the high calibre of his talent and the market trends such as the price other top players within age bracket command.

Also the fact that he is the current eighth best player in the world according to the Ballon d'Or standings plays a part in driving up his valuation.

But there are few more variables that go into assessing a player's true valuation which is where the doubt comes in with whether or not Osimhen is worth breaking transfer records for right now.

The biggest reason to negotiate that valuation down from £120 million for Chelsea is Osimhen's contract situation which should give potential suitors all the leverage in the negotiations.

Osimhen joined Napoli on a five-year deal in the summer of 2020 which means he will have just about a year-and-half left on his contract so why should Chelsea should pay that much for him?

Should Chelsea really be spending £120 million on Victor Osimhen?

Of course Chelsea need a world class striker and if they can find a way to sign Osimhen without breaking Financial Fair Play regulations then they should do just that.

However, by all indications they would have to overpay to achieve that goal, especially with Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis' reputation as a difficult negotiator.

But the concept of overpaying is not particularly new to Boehly and his spendthrift board, having recently paid £107 million to sign Enzo Fernandez and £115 million for Moises Caicedo.

However good Osimhen is, signing him for that amount would be a gamble for Chelsea, especially considering the player's extensive injury history but it is a risk worth taking for a club in Chelsea's situation.

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