Liverpool, Chelsea handed boost in Victor Osimhen pursuit?

The Nigeria international has experienced a turbulent start to the 2023-24 season, scoring six goals in eight Serie A games but being plagued by a host of off-field distractions.

Osimhen's representative threatened to take legal action against Napoli last month after the club posted two insulting videos about the striker on TikTok, one mocking his penalty miss against Bologna while another compared him to a coconut.

Napoli insisted that they never intended to cause harm to Osimhen, whose tensions with head coach Rudi Garcia also boiled over when he was substituted in the aforementioned game with Bologna.

Earlier this month, president Aurelio de Laurentiis also revealed that the Partenopei had shaken hands with Osimhen over a new contract, only for the striker to have second thoughts before putting pen to paper.

De Laurentiis hinted that he would sanction Osimhen's sale in 2024 before he entered the final year of his contract, leading some media outlets to speculate that the pair had a frosty relationship.

Napoli denied that was the case and claimed that their president's words were distorted, but the series of controversies have inevitably added fuel to the fire regarding Osimhen's future with the Serie A champions.

Both Liverpool and Chelsea are understood to be casting a watchful eye over developments, and according to Calciomercato, both clubs could be encouraged by a recent contract impasse.

Negotiations are ongoing between De Laurentiis and Osimhen's camp to extend his stay beyond the summer of 2025, but the two parties are allegedly struggling to agree on some key terms of