Chelsea ready bid for “one of the best in the world”

Chelsea have been fantastic in the 2024/25 Premier League season, and are flying high under Enzo Maresca. One of the main reasons for this is the fact they have been so ruthless in front of goal. The Blues have a squad filled with attacking firepower, and it is fair to say they have turned up this season.

The West Londoners have scored 37 goals in the top flight, the second-highest behind only Tottenham Hotspur with 39. Furthermore, the Blues have also created the second most big chances, with 61. Liverpool are the only side with more, creating 71.

Now, with the January transfer window approaching, it seems Maresca wants to only add more goals to his side because Chelsea are linked with a new striker.

Chelsea could sign big-name striker in 2025

Going into the January transfer window, rumours are beginning to swirl again concerning Nigeria centre-forward Victor Osimhen. The 25-year-old is currently on loan at Galatasaray from Italian giants Napoli and is enjoying an excellent season in Turkey.

Now, according to reports on the continent, Chelsea are one of the clubs who are willing to exercise the player’s release clause at the turn of the year. The report suggests that the Blues have ‘shown great interest’ in signing Osimhen this winter.

However, they would not be alone in their hunt for his signature. Premier League rivals Manchester United and French giants Paris Saint-Germain are also showing interest.

Should a deal for the 25-year-old get over the line, he could cost a hefty sum, reported to be around £62m. Although he is on loan in Turkey, there is a break clause in his contract that would see him have the chance to leave and sign permanently for a new club, if they meet the above sum of money.

How Osimhen compares to Nicolas Jackson

In a Chelsea side that is already devastating in front of goal, adding Osimhen to that attack could wreak havoc on the Premier League. The striker is simply deadly and has been fantastic for Galatasaray this term, scoring 12 goals in 15 games in all competitions.

However, the 25-year-old is not only clinical for the Turkish giants. His record for Napoli is outstanding.

In 133 appearances for Gli Azzurri, Osimhen has scored 76 goals, grabbing 18 assists, averaging 0.71 goals and assists per game. In the Scudetto-winning season of 2022/23, he scored 31 times in 39 games.

Should the Blues sign Osimhen this winter, he would be merely adding to the firepower they have in attacking areas. Of course, their first-choice striker is Nicolas Jackson, who has performed superbly under Maresca so far.

In 16 top-flight games in the 2024/25 campaign, the Senegal striker has scored nine times and provided three assists. He has been a consistent goalscorer for his side, not going longer than two games without a Premier League.

Perhaps Jackson’s best game in the top flight this season came against West Ham United away from home. He scored twice and grabbed an assist for Cole Palmer in a 3-0 win against their London rivals.

Having both Osimhen and Jackson at the club as striking options will be great depth. As the stats via FBref show, they are both fantastic players. The Nigerian striker averages 1.07 goals per game in the league this season and 0.33 goals per shot on target. In contrast, the Chelsea number 15 averages 0.64 goals per game and 0.39 goals per shot on target.

Signing Osimhen can only be a good thing for the Blues. Not only would they be signing “one of the best strikers in the world” as labelled by Joao Cancelo, but they’d be bringing in excellent competition for Jackson, which could only make him a better player.

Maresca will have tactical flexibility, with the option to play one or both of the centre-forwards and will always have goals in his side. £62m is a big investment, but there are certainly reasons to believe it is a good way to spend money in January.