Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has revealed that Victor Osimhen was ‘very, very close’ to joining Chelsea this summer.
The Nigerian striker was heavily linked with a move to the Blues throughout the summer transfer window, with a move to the Premier League his ‘dream’, but the deal fell through on deadline day.
Osimhen, one of the most in-demand strikers in Europe, instead left Napoli for Turkish Super Lig side Galatasaray on a shock season-long loan.
Reports suggested that the west London club could not strike a deal with Osimhen due to his high wage demands. However, Mikel claims that such suggestions are categorically false.
Speaking on the Obi One Podcast, he said: ‘I hear a lot of people saying this and saying that about Victor and and how greedy he is, blah, blah, blah. ‘Take a pay cut and come to Chelsea’ blah, blah, blah, stuff like that.
Chelsea legend John Obi Mikel has stated that claims Victor Osimhen is greedy are ‘b******t’
Victor Osimhen joined Galatasaray on loan after a permanent transfer to Chelsea fell through
‘I know the kid. I know the boy. I just want to say that that is absolutely not true. Victor is not a greedy boy. He’s not a greedy guy, he only wants to get what he deserves and that’s not a problem.’
During the window, it was claimed Osimhen was looking to net an eye-watering weekly salary of around £500,000.
While the Blues wanted to bring in a striker, it was believed they could not reach such a high figure. But Mikel had a resounding response to Osimhen’s reported demands.
‘No, he wasn’t asking for all this b******t,’ added Mikel. ‘I know what happened, I was in the midst of everything. So I can tell everybody that is definitely not true.
‘He just wants to play football and get what he deserves and that’s not a problem. A player knowing what he’s worth and demanding to be paid what he what he’s worth, that’s not a problem.’
Chelsea legend Mikel has previously revealed that he was working with both parties to help make the transfer happen due to his relationship with Osimhen and his former club.
The pair’s friendship started when Osimhen made his national team debut for Nigeria in 2017, while Mikel was still captain.
It was reported that Osimhen was looking to net a weekly salary of around £500,000
Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly did not want to dish out such big wages despite admiring the striker
With the Blues working hard to get Osimhen through the door on deadline day, the retired midfielder has revealed just how close the club were to completing the transfer.
‘We were very, very close to getting this deal done, but it was just slight issues, slight little problems that we just couldn’t get over the line.
‘I know what the club offered him, we got to finally go to a compromise. Both sides had to compromise. It was just some little things here and there, paperwork, medical, and few issues that we just couldn’t get over the line.’
Behind the scenes, working on the deal took its toll on Mikel who seemingly worked tirelessly to try and make the transfer happen.
‘I was the guy right in the middle of everything,’ Mikel continued. ‘There were couple of days I didn’t sleep. Thursday, I didn’t sleep. On Friday, I didn’t sleep.
‘I’m here in Dubai, it’s about three, four hours different, so I have to wait for phone calls, I think in the middle of the night.
Mikel was capped 91 times by Nigeria and was captain when Osimhen made his debut
Osimhen has gone on to score 22 goals for his country in just 36 apperances for them
‘On Thursday, I slept around 4am in the morning because I was waiting for phone call from this side and phone call from that side.’
Chelsea were not the only club interested in Osimhen over the summer. Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli tabled a £55million bid in order to secure his services, but the striker rejected their advances.
With options at his disposal, Osimhen had a decision to make, and Mikel has claimed that there was only one destination that the striker really wanted to go to.
‘I said we have to send somebody down to see Victor, and that will change the way he sees things, and then he will understand how much the club wants him to come,’ he added.
‘The club sends somebody to Naples and try to speak to Victor and his agent to make sure we get the deal done. It just shows how much the club were willing to have the player, and how eager the club were willing to get Victor.
‘I know he really wanted to come to the club, because he still knows he has a lot to prove in Europe.
‘He wants to come to Chelsea, he wants to come in and help the club to get back to where we should be. He knows he can score a lot of goals here in the Premier League, and what a what better place to do that than, you know, his childhood club, Chelsea.’
Osimhen, who scored 76 goals for Napoli across four seasons, joined Galatasaray on loan last week to seemingly put an end to his transfer saga.
Osimhen, who is 25-years-old, netted 76 goals for Napoli during four years at the club
Despite Mikel’s claims of Osimhen’s desire to join, the striker has since opened up on his delight at signing for the Turkish giants.
‘When I heard of the interest from Galatasaray, it was a very easy decision for me,’ Osimhen told the club website.
‘I knew how big Galatasaray was and how much like a family it was, and it had incredible fans.’
