John Obi Mikel has revealed an "open secret" about Victor Osimhen's failed transfer deadline day move to Chelsea.
The Nigeria striker was heavily linked with Chelsea, who made a late attempt to sign him from Napoli going into the final hours of the window.
With Al Ahli prioritising Ivan Toney, Chelsea had a clear run at Osimhen but it was reported that the two parties were far apart in terms of wages.
A deal never happened and Osimhen was initially left out in the cold at Napoli before sealing a loan to Galatasaray as the Turkish transfer window had a later closing date.
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Mikel was involved in the discussions regarding bringing his compatriot to his former club and believes claims he was asking for too much money were false and that the transfer fell through due to "minor details".
"I mean, a lot happened, and I think it’s an open secret that I was involved in the deal,” Mikel said on his Obi One Podcast.
“I was involved in trying to make sure that I get Victor to Chelsea, yeah, a lot happened, it was very interesting, because I think I hear a lot of people saying this and saying that about Victor and and how greedy he is and stuff like that. Blah, blah blah.
“I just want to say it here that I know the boy since from the very first day he joined the national team, yeah, my relationship with him has been very, very good.
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“I know what he’s capable of, and I just want to say that is absolutely not true. "Victor is not a greedy boy. He only wants to get what he deserves. And that’s not a problem.
“I know what happened. I was there, in the midst of everything. So I can tell everybody that that is definitely not true.
‘I know what Victor wanted, I know what the club offered him, I know where we got to, we finally got to a compromise, both sides had to compromise, I was just some little things here and there, paperwork, medical, and a few issues we just couldn’t get over the line and we didn’t have much time."
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After the transfer window shut in the United Kingdom, Mikel and Osimhen had a 20-minute conversation over the phone where he told the ex Lille man to knuckle down.
Osimhen sealed a move to Galatasaray, signing for the Turkish Super Lig champions on a season-long loan as part of an arrangement where they will pay his wages in full.
However, there is reportedly a break clause in the deal which allows Osimhen to join 10 specific clubs in January.
Chelsea are expected to be one of them and having spoken positively about communications with sporting director Paul Winstanley, Mikel is hopeful that he will succeed in getting Osimhen to Stamford Bridge.
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He continued: "‘Definitely there are no issues. I think if we have to pick this back up again like I said, whenever it is, January or next summer, we know where we are, we know where we’ve stopped, and it’s just little details that need to be finalised and the deal will be done.
"So for me, the club is in a very happy place with Victor and Victor is in a very happy place with the club.
"I want to make sure, I’m not going to rest, I want to make sure I get him to the club because I know, not because he’s my friend, or he’s like my younger brother or he’s Nigerian, no, he is one of the best strikers in the world right now, he’s Africa’s best player, I know what he can bring to the club and I’m sure a lot of Chelsea fans know what Victor can bring to the club."
Topics: Chelsea, Victor Osimhen, Napoli, Galatasaray
Josh Lawless