It’s easy for Chelsea to sign Osimhen who really wants to join the club – Mikel Obi

Former Nigeria and Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has backed Napoli striker Victor Osimhen to join the Blues this summer.

Osimhen has a £63 million release clause in his contract, making it likely that he will leave Napoli at the end of the season. Several top European clubs are interested in signing him, but Chelsea appears to be a strong contender.

The 26-year-old is currently on loan at Galatasaray, where he has been in outstanding form, scoring 26 goals in 30 matches across all competitions.

Chelsea had previously shown interest in signing him last summer, but negotiations failed, leading to his temporary move to Turkey.

Mikel revealed that Chelsea came close to signing Osimhen last year and could revive the deal.

“(Chelsea) almost got the deal done for Osimhen last summer,” Mikel told Sky Sports News. “The club wanted the player and the player wanted to come as well.

“I know exactly where we stopped. If we have to pick it up again in the summer, it’s just pretty easy to get it done because the player really wants to come to the football club.”

Mikel also stressed that Chelsea must sign a proven goal scorer if they want to compete for the Premier League title again.

“If you’re talking about a striker to come in and help Chelsea Football Club, you have to talk about Alexander Isak and you have to talk about Victor Osimhen,” he continued. “For me, these are the top two strikers. If we were able to get one of those guys they would definitely help for next season in terms of being able to compete to win the Premier League.”

Chelsea, under new manager Enzo Maresca, are expected to strengthen their squad this summer, with a focus on improving their attacking options.