Victor Osimhen will make a decision over his future next month as the Chelsea transfer target keeps several clubs on red alert ahead of the summer transfer window.
The 26-year-old striker was a major target for the Blues last summer but the two parties could not reach an agreement over his wages as he looked to leave Napoli. Osimhen instead made a shock move to Turkish side Galatasaray on a season-long loan and he has flourished at RAMS Park this term.
Averaging a goal every 90 minutes in all competitions, the Nigerian has scored 26 goals over the course of 30 matches for Gala, while also producing five assists in the process. Galatasaray understandably want to keep Osimhen, but there seems to be a general acceptance from everyone involved that the striker will look to broaden his horizons once again at the end of the season with mass interest in his signature ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
"Osimhen will inform us of his decision in April," Galatasaray vice-president Abdullah Kavukcu said in a recent interview. "At this moment, the top five clubs in the world have also shown interest in him.
"Osimhen's arrival was a dream come true. Now he is here and playing for us. In January, there was talk of him leaving, but he stayed because he loves Galatasaray. Today, he is the player all our rivals would like to have."
Chelsea have never lost interest in Osimhen and with the club in the market for a top-class No.9 this summer, the Nigeria international remains very much on the radar. However, he is not the only one - with the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Liam Delap and Benjamin Sesko also admired by the west Londoners.
John Obi Mikel, the former Chelsea midfielder who is also close friends with his fellow countryman Osimhen, spoke about last summer's failed move not too long after the transfer window closed. Mikel said that the Blues showcased their big ambition when trying to sign the Napoli talisman and the fact that it ended up not happening left Osimhen devastated.
Speaking on The Obi One Podcast, Mikel said: "I know what Victor wanted, I know what the club offered him, I know where he got to, we finally got to a compromise, it was just some little things here and there, paperwork, medical, and a few issues we just couldn't get over the line and we didn't have much time. Both sides really played their part in terms of getting the deal done, and I commend Chelsea for that because I can see their ambition of where they want to take this club now and also on Victor's side, how much he really wanted to come to the club.
"He was disappointed it didn't happen. I spoke to him when the transfer window shut, I gave him a call, we spent 20 minutes talking, I said 'listen, I'm always here for you, you need to keep working hard, keep training, I know it's not the best situation right now, but I know you're strong'.
"You know, Victor is a strong character, he is a bit like Didier Drogba and Diego Costa and that is something we're missing at the club, strikers who have that edge, who have that bite, who can intimidate defenders. Victor definitely has that."
Mikel also said a move in the summer is definitely possible between the two parties: "Definitely there are no issues. I think if we have to pick this back up again like I said, whenever it is, January or next summer [2025], we know where we are, we know where we've stopped, and it's just little details that need to be finalised and the deal will be done. So for me, the club is in a very happy play with Victor, and Victor is in a very happy place with the club.
"I want to make sure, I'm not going to rest, I want to make sure I get him to the club because I know, not because he's my friend, or he's like my younger brother or he's Nigerian, no, he is one of the best strikers in the world right now, he's Africa's best player, I know what he can bring to the club and I'm sure a lot of Chelsea fans know what Victor can bring to the club."