Chelsea's model since Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly bought the club three years ago has remained the same. Buy the best young talent in the world and watch them mature and develop into world-class stars.
It has not always worked but there are a few cases, see Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo for instance, where it has been successful. While football.london understands there is no immediate plan to deviate from said model this summer, an exception will perhaps be made if the right opportunity presents itself.
Though, no exception was made last summer for Victor Osimhen. Despite Chelsea going all out to sign the Napoli striker, the Blues refused to budge regarding the 26-year-old's wage demands - something the club believed to be far too high for their liking. Instead, Osimhen moved to Galatasaray and the Nigerian has flourished on his season-long loan deal in Turkey.
However, rumours are still rife over Osimhen's future ahead of the summer transfer window and football.london has been told not to completely rule out Chelsea swooping for the striker. There are, though, a number of other - also younger and cheaper - alternatives to Osimhen on the club's radar as they look to add competition and support for Nicolas Jackson.
Osimhen is understood to have wanted the move to Stamford Bridge last summer when Chelsea were negotiating with Napoli and it is no surprise given his comments over two years ago about wanting to play in the Premier League one day. "Playing in one of the top five leagues in the world is an amazing feeling for me," Osimhen said in March 2023..
"But a lot of people worldwide consider the Premier League as the best and the strongest league. I am in a process, in a phase, now I am in one of the best leagues in the world in the Italian Serie A. Of course I am working really hard to make sure I achieve my dream of playing in the Premier League one day."
Gala supporters are desperate for Osimhen to stay, as they showed during the side's title-clinching win against Kayserispor at the weekend, with banners calling for the striker to remain in Istanbul beyond the expiration of his loan deal. It will be difficult for Gala to keep hold of him, though, given what he has done in Turkey this season - with 36 goals in all competitions - and the queue of clubs interested in his signature.
Chelsea need to decide whether they are willing to bend their model for Osimhen and make an exception regarding his wage demands. If not, then the Blues also have interest in the likes of Liam Delap, Hugo Ekitike and Benjamin Sesko, football.london understands, as the two sporting directors look to give Enzo Maresca more fire power for the 2025/26 campaign.