'It would have been risky' - Pundit explains Chelsea's refusal to match Osimhen's wages at Napoli

Respected Daily Telegraph's football news correspondent, Matt Law has revealed the reason behind Chelsea's reluctance to meet Napoli striker Victor Osimhen's demands in the just-concluded transfer window.

The Premier League giants were keen on bringing the 25-year-old to west London and pushed till the last day to secure his signature but failed in their pursuit.

Chelsea expressed their readiness to secure the star forward on a loan deal, offering him a reduced, incentive-based salary compared to what he currently earns.

Osimhen rejected Chelsea's proposal and has now moved to Galatasaray on loan after the Turkish club agreed to meet his demands and that of Napoli.

Speaking to London Is Blue Podcast via Football Transfers, Law revealed the reason behind the Blues' failure to meet the demands of Nigeria's international

"For me, they can't go out and pay him £300,000-a-week because that's going to cause massive issues when you've just given Cole Palmer an uplift that's nowhere near that really," Law explained.

"It would have been risky. You could easily have had another Lukaku situation."

According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea could still revive their interest in the one-time Serie A top scorer as they still have a strong interest in his services.

Based on his contractual terms with Galatasaray, Osimhen could leave the Turkish club in January if he receives an offer from a top European club.

The 2023 Ballon d'Or nominee is presently preparing with the rest of his international teammates ahead of the Africa Cup of qualification games against Benin and Rwanda.

He was the top scorer for the last qualification series for the tournament and will be hoping to replicate the same once again.

Abdulkareem Abdulhamid

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