Former Blues midfielder John Obi Mikel says that Victor Osimhen, a forward for Napoli and a long-term Chelsea target, is “not a greedy boy.”
The 25-year-old, who had been made available by his Italian club, was much linked to Chelsea during the summer transfer window.
The anticipation was that the Nigerian international would eventually sign with a major European club or join the Saudi Pro League, even though the story took weeks to wrap up.
However, a deal failed to materialise in either situation, Osimhen instead moving to Galatasaray on a season-long loan deal having continued to be frozen out by Napoli.
Since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital acquired control of Chelsea in May 2022, a sustained effort has been made to reduce the wage bill.
Progress on that front has been made to the extent where it has been alleged that the West Londoners now shell out an average of £60,000 per week to each player, considerably down to the outgoings during the Roman Abramovich era.
With Osimhen allegedly earning in excess of £200,000 per week at Napoli, a compromise was required if a move to Chelsea was ever going to materialise.
That was ultimately not the case, leaving both parties frustrated at the outcome and now needing to assess whether they will re-open negotiations in the future.
Mikel – a Chelsea legend and Nigerian compatriot of Osimhen – is familiar with the player and has been outspoken in the past about the possibility of a move to the Premier League for the player.
Speaking on his Obi One Podcast, Mikel has admitted that Osimhen wanted to receive ‘what he felt he deserved’ at Chelsea, albeit dismissing claims that the striker had priced himself out.
The former midfielder said: “I was involved in trying to make sure that I get Victor to Chelsea, yeah, a lot happened, it was very interesting because I think I hear a lot of people saying this and saying that about Victor and and how greedy he is and stuff like that. Blah, blah blah.
“I just want to say here that I know the boy since from the very first day he joined the national team, yeah, my relationship with him has been very, very good.
“I know what he’s capable of, and I just want to say that is not true. Victor is not a greedy boy. He only wants to get what he deserves. And that’s not a problem.
“I know what happened. I was there, in the midst of everything. So I can tell everybody that that is definitely not true.”
Osimhen could now be in line to make his debut for Galatasaray against Rizespor on Saturday evening as he bids to help the defending champions retain their Super Lig trophy this season.
