Chelsea failure with Victor Osimhen transfer sees Napoli take drastic action to force deal

Napoli have excluded Victor Osimhen from their Serie A squad in an attempt to offload the striker following his failed transfer to Chelsea on deadline day. The Premier League side could not conclude a deal for the highly-rated Nigerian amid Enzo Maresca’s hunt for an elite No 9.

Chelsea made a last-ditch attempt to prise Osimhen from Napoli but failed. It is claimed that a late offer was made but the Blues did not receive a response.

Osimhen also had interest from Saudi Arabia but Al-Ahli ultimately prioritised a £33m switch for the former Brentford star Ivan Toney. The 25-year-old therefore remains at Napoli, where he is set for at least a few months of not playing under Antonio Conte.

Napoli have excluded Osimhen from their Serie A squad and handed his No 9 shirt to new signing Romelu Lukaku, whose own move between London and Naples was in place long before Friday’s transfer deadline. Lukaku is set for a reunion with Conte, under whose management he thrived at Inter Milan earlier in his career.

According to the Mirror, Napoli are still hopeful of selling Osimhen to the Saudi Pro League. The transfer window for teams in the Middle East does not close until Monday.

Osimhen has long been linked with a move to Europe’s biggest clubs but Napoli have previously turned down offers and valued the player at an eye-watering £150m. Earlier this week, his agent appeared to take a dig at the Italian club as he tried to find an escape path.

Roberto Calenda said: “Osimhen is a Napoli player, with a contract recently renewed with mutual satisfaction.

“He made history and when there were major offers (also this year) we always accepted the club’s decisions. As I said, he is not a package to be shipped far away to make room for new prophets.

“Victor was elected African footballer of the year, eighth at the Ballon d’Or, he still has so much to do in Europe. There needs to be respect and balance.”

Chelsea might not have signed Osimhen but they did complete a deal for Jadon Sancho in the final hours of the window. The 24-year-old has arrived on loan from Manchester United for the season and there is an obligation on Chelsea’s part to make his registration permanent at the end of the season. Raheem Sterling also departed to join Arsenal on loan.