Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca explains why the club didn’t make a stronger effort to secure Victor Osimhen from Napoli, despite rumors of a controversial salary offer.
The Blues had spent the entire summer looking for a new striker and were anticipated to make a move for the Nigerian international much earlier.
However, serious negotiations only began in the closing days of the transfer window, and they were unable to finalize a deal before the deadline on Friday evening….
Continue Reading..“We want players but we want players that we decide and then the condition has to be our condition. So if the players are not here, then that means the conditions were not good for us,” said Maresca in a press conference following today’s Premier League 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace.
The Chelsea boss was asked if the situation could change in January and perhaps they might revisit the Osimhen situation again.
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“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.”
According to reports from Sky Sport Italia, Corriere dello Sport, and others, the primary issue for Osimhen in Chelsea’s case was the club’s salary structure.
At Napoli, he earns over €10 million per season, while Chelsea’s offer was only €4 million in guaranteed pay, plus an additional €2 million in performance-related bonuses and €2 million if the team qualified for the Champions League.
This meant less than half of his current salary would be guaranteed at Stamford Bridge, which Osimhen found unacceptable.
Earlier in the day, Osimhen had agreed to a €40 million per season contract with Al-Ahli, but the Saudi Pro League club withdrew when Napoli demanded an additional €5 million in bonuses.
Napoli and Al-Ahli had initially settled on a €70 million fee with €10 million in add-ons.
As a result, Osimhen remains at Napoli, where the club has confirmed through Antonio Conte that he will not be welcomed back.
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