Chelsea Transfer News Roundup: Blues end Joao Palhinha pursuit; Victor Osimhen to cost £100 million next summer, and more - December 18, 2023

Chelsea returned to winning ways this weekend against Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge, registering a 2-0 victory. Mauricio Pochettino’s team climbed up to tenth in the table, with 22 points after 17 games.

Meanwhile, the Blues have ended their pursuit of Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha. Elsewhere, Napoli striker Victor Osimhen is set to cost £100 million in the summer.

On that note, here's a look at the key Chelsea transfer stories as on December 18, 2023:

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Chelsea end Joao Palhinha pursuit

Joao Palhinha could be on the move in January.

Chelsea have ended their pursuit of Joao Palhinha, according to The Daily Star. The Portuguese midfielder is expected to leave Fulham at the turn of the year, after a failed move to Bayern Munich in the summer.

Arsenal and the Blues are among the club mentioned as potential destination, with the Bavarians remaining an option as well. However, Chelsea have decided to abandon their plans to sign the 28-year-old.

Pochettino believes he's well stocked in the middle of the park, with the Blues spending over £200 million on Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo this year. As such, the club could look to strengthen other areas of the pitch at the turn of the year.

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Victor Osimhen to cost £100 million in the summer, says journalist

Victor Osimhen could be on the move in 2024.

Victor Osimhen is likely to cost a small fortune next summer, according to transfer insider Ben Jacobs.

The Nigerian No. 9 has become a household name after powering Napoli to the Serie A title last season. However, Osimhen’s contract with the club expires in 2025, but he hasn’t agreed an extension yet.

Chelsea are in the market for a new striker and have made Osimhen their priority for 2024, as per The Telegraph. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jacobs said that the Nigerian could leave the reigning Italian champions in the summer.

“There is a release clause, and the terms of that release clause at the time of recording are still being discussed, when it kicks in and what the final amount is.

"But as I've reported before, the expectation was always that the Osimhen side would want an out and a release clause,” said Jacob

He continued:

“So a summer transfer certainly still becomes a very realistic possibility, and in the current market, the release clause will not be so extortionate, based on Osimhen’s talent to put off suitors.

"It's certainly not particularly low, which would guarantee that there will be a mad race to trigger it.”

Jacobs also said that Osimhen is likely to have a £100 million price tag at the end of the season.

“If you consider most suitors feel like Osimhen is a £90 million to £100 million pound player that is going to be in or around the release clause number. That could be as high as €130 million, or maybe even will be a shade lower.

"So £90 million or £100 million is sort of, I guess, somewhere between €110 million and €120 million euros. That's kind of what suitors feel would be real market value for Osimhen, and they'd be prepared to pay that,” said Jacobs.

He concluded:

“That's based upon his talent, his potential, his age, his profile, and just the current market where even though they're in different positions.

"Premier League clubs are paying £100 million or in the region of that for Enzo Fernandez, for Mykhailo Mudryk, for Declan Rice, for Rasmus Hojlund. So Osimhen should be more and significantly more than Hojlund.”

The London giants roped in Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal this summer, but he has endured an underwhelming time so far.

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Blues have to offload players to sign Rayan Cherki, says journalist

Chelsea will have to offload players to secure a move for Rayan Cherki in January, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The French midfielder remains unsettled at Lyon and is expected to leave in 2024. The London giants were interested in Cherki in the summer, but a move didn’t materialise. Foot Mercato has reported that the Blues and West Ham United have their eyes on the 20-year-old.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones pointed out that Chelsea have quite a few players of a similar profile.

“He's definitely a player that they've had on their radar. In the summer, they were seriously contemplating whether to sign him, but they didn't pull the trigger on it then,” said Jones.

He continued:

“I don't know if that's what they actually need right now, to be honest. They seem to have about five or six players that are similar to that type.

"So unless they offload a couple of those, I don't really see that there's room for Cherki, even though he's really talented, and he does fit that profile that they've typically been looking at.”

Cherki’s contract with the Ligue 1 side expires in 2025.