John Obi Mikel claims role as Victor Osimhen’s ‘Agent’, encourages Napoli ace to avoid Manchester United & PSG and come to Chelsea

Mikel, a beloved figure at Chelsea, is pushing for Osimhen to join the club despite hefty transfer costs and competition from Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain.

Chirag

February 29, 2024

Obi Mikel Trying To Bring Osimhen To Chelsea — Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images

Chelsea fan favorite Mikel has asserted his efforts to steer Osimhen towards Stamford Bridge, affirming that the Napoli forward is keen on the move, notwithstanding estimations indicating a hefty fee of €130 million (£110m/$140m). Nevertheless, Mikel acknowledges the considerable interest from competitors, mentioning both Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain.

Speaking at the Web Summit Qatar, Mikel expressed, “I think there’s genuine interest between both (Chelsea and Osimhen). I think he loves the club, he wants to come to the club, obviously he wants to follow in my footsteps as a Nigerian player who has played for Chelsea, like Victor Moses, Celestine Babayaro, there’s not a lot of us. London as well, a fantastic city, instead of going to Liverpool or places like that, you want to live in London. But he also has a lot of interest, like PSG, Man United, but I’m still pushing, sending him messages, trying to make sure he doesn’t expect too much, just narrow your mind on one club: The Blues!”

Responding to inquiries if he’s acting as “agent Mikel,” he confirmed, “I am. I am pushing him. I hope he comes to the club, because he will bring so much to the club. I think the one thing we lack, anybody who watched the [Carabao Cup] final on Sunday will see the one thing we are lacking is scoring goals. We need that striker who will score goals. That’s what Victor will give you. He’s not the most skilful guy but goals, definitely a guarantee.”

Osimhen’s impressive record of 11 goals in 15 Serie A matches this season underscores his ability to find the net consistently; having scored 72 goals in 122 appearances for Napoli. Chelsea, on the other hand, have witnessed a shortage of goal-scoring form among their strikers this season, with only two players reaching double figures: Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson.

Whether Chelsea can afford the Nigerian international remains uncertain, given their Financial Fair Play concerns. Reports indicate they may need to generate up to £100m ($128m) from player sales this summer to facilitate new acquisitions.