Aston Villa ‘insist’ on hijacking Chelsea transfer as Boehly ‘loses patience’ with Euro giants ‘blocked’
According to reports, Aston Villa are ‘insisting’ on signing Chelsea outcast Romelu Lukaku, who is being targeted by Serie A giants Napoli.
Lukaku returned to Chelsea during the 2021 summer transfer window as they paid around £97.5m to sign him from Inter Milan.
The Belgium international only scored eight goals in his 26 Premier League appearances during his debut season and he was sent back to Inter Milan on loan after butting heads with club chiefs.
The Chelsea outcast spent last season on loan at AS Roma and new Napoli boss Antonio Conte has identified him as a top target this summer.
Speculation regarding Lukaku joining Napoli has rumbled on for months, but it’s been widely reported that this proposed deal is dependent on Victor Osimhen leaving.
Osimhen has a release clause in his contract worth around £110m and this huge fee has been pricing him out of a move away from Napoli amid interest from Chelsea and PSG.
Mooted as a potential replacement for Kylian Mbappe, Osimhen remains on Chelsea’s radar and it’s been claimed that he could be involved in a swap deal with Lukaku.
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Earlier this week, a report from Caught Offside claimed.
‘Much of the operation’s success will depend on the fixed amount Chelsea must pay for the Nigerian striker.
‘According to CaughtOffside sources with knowledge of the negotiations, the Blues don’t want to go beyond €60m, while Napoli have asked for at least 2 players – Romelu Lukaku and either Trevoh Chalobah or Cesare Casadei – as well as around €80/90m cash.
‘Another meeting has been planned in the coming days to continue where the discussions left off, and the key details are expected to be nailed down.’
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However, with Napoli dilly-dallying, Aston Villa are reportedly preparing to snatch Lukaku.
Last week, a report claimed Chelsea have ‘lost patience’ with Napoli and have reached an ‘agreement’ to offload Lukaku to Aston Villa.
A new report in Italy claims Aston Villa are becoming ‘more and more insistent’ on signing Lukaku, while Conte is pushing to sign the 31-year-old in a separate deal to Osimhen.
‘Above all, Conte doesn’t want to be tricked by Aston Villa’s pressure, which is becoming more and more insistent.
‘An operation that would require an effort from the Azzuri management, who are waiting for the sale of Osimhen.
‘The Nigerian has everything outlined with PSG, who are stalling and playing for the lowest price’.
‘In the next few days, a move could arrive with Chelsea to unblock the deal.
‘Napoli’s objective, as of today, is to have Lukaku in the squad in time for the Serie A debut against Verona.’
