Aston Villa are reportedly working ‘behind the scenes’ to complete a shock hijack of Napoli’s proposed move for Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku.
Unai Emery and Co have spent the summer months strengthening the Villa ranks for a gruelling season of Premier League and Champions League football to come.
In the final weeks of the window, especially in the build-up to the new season, the door remains open for any further movement in the market. The latest rumour suggests it could be a striker that becomes the next recruit – and a 121-goal striker at that – in a move that could have a massive knock-on effect.
Italian outlet Calcio Napoli 24 hold the belief that it is currently Villa’s efforts ‘behind the scenes’ that are hampering Napoli in signing Lukaku – the scorer of 121 Premier League goals across past spells with West Brom, Everton, Manchester United and the Blues. Antonio Conte has taken over in Naples this summer and is said to be keen on a reunion.
Chelsea reportedly remain desperate to offload the 31-year-old, who has now spent the last two seasons on loan to Inter Milan and AS Roma respectively following the forward’s disappointing £97.5m return to Stamford Bridge in 2021.
A lot would come down to the player’s preference, but say that were to be Villa Park, the consequences could be dire for both the club hijacked and the club selling the Belgian goalscorer.
This is because with Lukaku through the door, Napoli would be thought to be ready to sanction Victor Osimhen’s exit. The Nigerian has been a long-standing Chelsea target, though so far they have been unwilling to match his reported £113m price tag.
If Napoli are left scrambling in the final weeks of the window to find an alternative to their primary target, then ultimately Chelsea could yet miss out too – a major blow for Villa’s top-flight rivals.
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