Victor Osimhen is being discussed by Chelsea and Napoli for a summer transfer, with the forwarder potentially arriving at Stamford Bridge on loan.
The Premier League squad is trying to convince Osimhen to go the other way, while the Serie A outfit is aiming to recruit Romelu Lukaku from the Blues.
Negotiations between the teams are still underway. According to The Athletic, if a deal were to be made, Lukaku would go permanently to Napoli, and Chelsea would probably sign Osimhen on a loan with the option to buy.
Lukaku is a Belgian striker who is eager to join Napoli and work with new manager Antonio Conte after the two enjoyed a fruitful, championship-winning partnership at Inter Milan.
The 31-year-old appears to have no future at Chelsea and is hopeful that he can return to Italy after spending last season on loan at Roma.
Osimhen has come to an agreement with Napoli that he will leave the club this summer, but a deal is proving complicated to come to.
Paris Saint-Germain want to sign the Nigeria international but are not willing to meet the release clause in his Napoli contract, which stands at €130m (£109.5m).
Arsenal are also interested and talks have been held, but the Gunners are also not going to meet the forward’s huge release clause.
Chelsea may win the race to sign Osimhen and do so on an initial loan move, although other interested parties may also fancy going down that route.
Osimhen has not been involved in pre-season with Napoli as Conte revealed that the striker has agreed with the club that he will move on this summer.
‘I know that there are agreements with the club, it’s a totally different situation, which I’ll witness,’ Conte said.
‘Then if you ask me about the player, he’s a top player, but I can’t get into any discussions about Osimhen because these are previous agreements.’