Kalidou Koulibaly gives his take on Victor Osimhen potentially moving to Chelsea
Former Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly feels Blues target Victor Osimhen should decide on his own future despite interest from several clubs.
The Nigerian striker played an important role in steering Napoli to the Scudetto last season and finished the campaign as the top scorer in the Italian top flight, with 26 goals in 32 Serie A games. The accomplishment has made him somewhat of a legend at the Naples club.
Napoli are well aware that the player’s stock is at an all-time high and are unwilling to sell him on the cheap. Although his enormous asking price has been considered as a barrier to obtaining him, it has not deterred Chelsea from pursuing his signature.
Recently, the Blues inquired about the 24-year-old position, and as per the report, they are poised to make a move. Signing a reliable goalscorer is a priority and with Mauricio Pochettino set to take over, the Blues will need to act fast.
Koulibaly, meanwhile, had a lacklustre first season at Chelsea, which proved insufficient to convince the North Londoners to retain him. The 30-year-old has now joined Saudi club Al-Hilal and was asked about which club his former teammate should join. Speaking to the Corriere dello Sport, he said:
“He doesn’t need my advice. We talk from time to time, and he’ll call me if he wants. But now Victor is a very important player, one of the best in the world. Gattuso helped him, Spalletti was the turning point, and now he no longer needs anyone. He must choose freely, on his own, without listening to other opinions. Only in this way will he have no remorse.”
Osimhen will undoubtedly need to decide on his future during the summer transfer window. He can either stay at Napoli or go to another team. The obstacle would be paying his price since Aurelio De Laurentiis, the president of Napoli, values him at more than £150 million, but we have demonstrated our financial strength in the previous two transfer windows.
This season might be challenging because we aren’t playing in the Champions League, we have to trim down our large roster, and we have to adhere to the Financial Fair Play rules. However should we continue to sell well, there could be some avenues we could explore.
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For now, Chelsea are far from in the lead to land Osimhen. Koulibaly is right to state that the Nigerian will make his own decision when the time comes. Hopefully it will be one that will benefit us for years to come.