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Football London
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Tom Coley

Chelsea given $68m Victor Osimhen choice amid Romelu Lukaku and Christian Pulisic transfer hint

Italian clubs could be set to help Chelsea with their mass clearout this summer as well as offering a way to achieve their transfer incomings as well. After a strong season for Serie A sides with three teams in the Champions League quarter-finals and a burst of energy from Napoli, there has been a slight power shift.

Pioneered by Luciano Spalletti's explosive and exciting Scudetto win in Naples, Italian football is having an unexpected second wind this year despite the financial might of the Premier League. It is a good thing too, for Chelsea, with more options for overpaid and underperforming players.

The league is already full of players that have been sold from England including Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Olivier Giroud, Fikayo Tomori, Tammy Abraham, Ademola Lookman, Tanguy Ndombele, Moise Keane and Paul Pogba.

READ MORE: Frank Lampard deals Mauricio Pochettino major Chelsea blow as hopes crumble with latest call

Heading into the summer transfer window that extensive list could yet be added to. According to a report in the Daily Mail, Christian Pulisic is a target for Juventus and Napoli. AC Milan have previously expressed their own interest in the USMNT star.

The 24-year-old is out of contract next year and isn't expected to remain at Stamford Bridge beyond this season after failing to make much of an impact on Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter or Frank Lampard in what has been another turbulent and unsettled campaign for the winger.

Getting much return on the £54m ($68.2m) spent to sign him in 2019 will be a challenge for Chelsea but for their USA-based ownership group the bottom line will be closer to the £12m left of his amortized value across his contract. Anything over that would go down as relative profit on the books.

His use could be elsewhere, though, with Chelsea amongst the clubs keen to sign Napoli's own star attacker, Victor Osimhen. The Nigerian is one of the most sought-after strikers on the planet following his stellar season and it is his position that is right amongst the most important to be addressed by the Blues in the off-season.

In order to make the most of the interest from both parties it is said that a part-player swap deal could be floated as a potential negotiation tactic. This would not only save Chelsea some cash - Osimhen's price is reportedly set to be £132m ($166.9m) - but it would also allow them to continue their lengthy sales process at the same time.

Furthermore to this, Chelsea also have the £97m ($122.6m) figure of Romelu Lukaku to deal with this summer as his future remains up in the air. Inter Milan are defiant that he will return to London but a second loan deal for next season is not ruled out, meanwhile, his form in Italy could make him an attractive option for Napoli should they part with Osimhen.

There is plenty still up in the air for all three players and all of the clubs as well and these options may well turn them into a serious transfer saga.

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