According to The Sun, Osimhen, 25, is believed to be asking for a contract which would see him receive £500,000-a-week.
The extraordinary figure would make him the highest paid player in the Premier League.
The Blues have been working all summer long to get the deal over the line and talks with the striker’s representatives and Napoli have been ongoing for a number of weeks but it is understood that an agreement is still nowhere in sight.
Chelsea originally tried to sign the Napoli star on loan as they were unwilling to pay his £110million release clause, but the Italian club rejected the proposal.
Reports out of Italy now suggest that Napoli have lowered their asking price for Osimhen to a more realistic £85m but the wages are proving a problem.
PSG are also interested in the 25-year-old but have cooled off their pursuit for now.
The Blues are eager to get the deal over the line since the Nigerian footballer has long been identified as a long-term target for the club.
However, in order to meet Osimhen’s wage demands or even come close, they have been working tirelessly to reduce their wage bill.
This is why we have seen many of Chelsea’s first team players exiled and forced to train away from Enzo Maresca’s squad, including Ben Chilwell and Raheem Sterling.
The Sun reports that the Blues have now also started looking at alternatives for the Nigerian forward due to his remarkable wage demands.
Two cheaper options identified by the west London club are Federico Chiesa from Juventus and Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Five attacking players have already been welcomed to Stamford Bridge this summer but head coach Maresca has told the club that he wants one more striker.
Although Christopher Nkunku and Cole Palmer are both able to play the striker role if called upon, the Blues only have two natural No9’s in their squad – Nicolas Jackson and new signing Marc Guiu, who arrived from Barcelona.
