Chelsea were highly interested in signing Napoli striker Victor Osimhen this summer. However, he appears set for a move to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) instead. He has reportedly already agreed on personal terms with the French side.
The Parisians and Napoli are now in negotiation for the Nigerian striker. His release clause is worth £110 million but the Italian side might also accept a lower bid. This, however, leaves Chelsea in a position to look for alternatives.
As per Football.London, they have identified RC Lens striker Elye Wahi as a potential signing. They also tried to sign him last summer but were unable to do so. However, forgotten star Malang Sarr could help the Blues land Wahi this summer.
RC Lens are highly interested in signing Sarr. The French defender joined Chelsea from OGC Nice on a free transfer in 2020. He made just 21 appearances for them and was loaned out to Porto and AS Monaco. He was completely frozen out of the Blues squad. So much so that former Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino asked “Who?” when asked about Sarr in a press conference.
Lens are now interested in signing Sarr and the west London side are interested in selling. They could also use in a deal to bring Wahi to Stamford Bridge this summer.
Elye Wahi rejected a move to Chelsea last summer
The Blues were also interested in signing Wahi last summer but the striker rejected them. He wasn’t satisfied with the role promised to him and he wanted regular football, as he told L’Equipe:
“Chelsea – I didn’t want to go there just for the sake of it.
“Frankfurt was close, more so than Chelsea. I spoke with the manager there [Dino Toppmöller]. He speaks French and that was important for me. They had to wait for Randal Kolo Muani’s departure and waiting for it was too complicated. I don’t have any regrets.”
Wahi came through Montpellier’s academy and had a breakout 2022-23 season, where he scored 19 goals and provided six assists in 33 Ligue 1 games. This saw RC Lens break their club record and sign the French striker for €30 million last summer.
However, he has failed to live up to expectations so far. The 21-year-old scored just 12 goals and contributed four assists in 37 games across competitions. This includes nine goals and three assists in 28 Ligue 1 games.
Hence, Lens could be tempted to part ways with Wahi, whose contract runs until 2028. The French club could get some fees and also sign one of their primary targets in Malang Sarr.