Chelsea continued their march towards qualification for Europe on Sunday as they secured an emphatic 5-0 win over West Ham United in the Premier League.
The Blues demolished David Moyes' side at Stamford Bridge with a fantastic showing, which has kept them within the conversation to finish in the top six.
Cole Palmer, Conor Gallagher, and Noni Madueke all scored for Mauricio Pochettino during the first half to secure a comfortable lead at the break.
Centre-forward Nicolas Jackson then took over in the second half as he scored both of the team's goals in the last 45 to round out the 5-0 win.
Despite the Senegal international's goalscoring exploits of late, the club are reportedly in the market to land another number nine to bolster the squad in the upcoming summer transfer window.
They could bring in a striker, however, to partner or compete with Jackson and form a fantastic strikeforce for Chelsea moving forward, which could be the case with the player they are currently looking to sign.
Chelsea make contact to sign Serie A star
According to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio's website, the Blues are interested in a deal to sign Napoli centre-forward Victor Osimhen this summer.
The report claims that the Premier League side have made initial contact with the Serie A side over a possible swoop to snap up the Nigeria international ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
It reveals that Chelsea are set for talks to find out whether or not the Italian team would be willing to entertain an offer of up to €90m (£77m) and Romelu Lukaku and an unnamed young player in exchange for the striker.
Appearances
30
xG
9.58
Goals
12
Big chances missed
10
Assists
3
Lukaku is currently on loan with Roma in the Serie A and, as you can see in the table above, has enjoyed a respectable season in front of goal, outscoring his xG by just over two goals.
However, it remains to be seen whether or not Napoli would be open to taking the Belgium international, who turns 31 this month, as part of an exchange for their star marksman.
The report claims that French giants Paris Saint-Germain are also interested in Osimhen and could, therefore, provide Chelsea with competition for his signature this summer.
It states, however, that Napoli's priority at this moment in time is securing a new head coach and the future of their prolific forward may not be resolved until after that has been sorted out.
If Todd Boehly and his team can strike an agreement to bring the Nigerian star to Stamford Bridge then he could form a fantastic relationship with Jackson, whether they are on the pitch together or competing with each other for a spot, from next season onwards.
Nicolas Jackson's Premier League form for Chelsea
The 22-year-old attacker was brought in from Spanish side Villarreal on a permanent deal last summer and has had mixed success in his first Premier League campaign with the club.
He has produced four goals and two assists in his last five Premier League matches, including his brace against the Hammers on Sunday, but his finishing has left a bit to be desired throughout the season.
Jackson has scored 13 goals from an xG (Expected Goals) of 17.14 in 32 top-flight appearances, which suggests that the forward should have around four more goals than he does.
The Senegal international has missed a staggering 22 'big chances' in the division, to go along with his 13 goals, and this shows that the young marksman has been very wasteful in front of goal and has not made the most of the high-quality chances that his teammates have created for him.
Jackson ranks within the top 5% of Premier League forwards for non-penalty xG and xAG (Expected Assisted Goals) per 90 with 0.76, which speaks to the constant threat he provides in the final third as both a scorer and a creator of goals, even if the ex-LaLiga star is yet to refine his finishing.
At the age of 22, the talented ace still has plenty of time left to develop and improve, and the signing of Osimhen could provide him with a fantastic finisher to learn from, whilst his versatility to play on either wing could mean that he plays alongside the forward in the attack.
Why Chelsea should sign Victor Osimhen
The 25-year-old centre-forward has been in phenomenal form for Napoli since the start of the 2022/23 campaign and could arrive at Stamford Bridge as a lethal scorer.
Hailed as "world-class" by former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho earlier this season, Osimhen ranked within the top 1% of Serie A strikers for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.84) and the top 1% for non-penalty xG (0.66) last term.
As you can see in the table below, the Nigerian sensation enjoyed a sublime campaign in front of goal for the Italian side as they won the league title.
Appearances
32
xG
21.38
Goals
26
Minutes per goal
99
Assists
4
The prolific striker racked up a staggering 26 goals from an xG of 21.38, which shows that he more than made the most of the chances that his teammates provided him with throughout the season.
This term, Osimhen has produced 14 goals from an xG of 14.75 – only slightly underperforming his xG – in 20 starts for the Italian champions.
The Chelsea target has, therefore, scored 40 goals from an xG of 36.13 in the league since the start of the 2022/23 campaign, which speaks to both his ability to find himself in high-quality goalscoring positions consistently and his quality as a finisher.
Osimhen and Jackson could then thrive as a pairing for the Blues as they both consistently find themselves in superb goalscoring positions, as shown by their respective non-penalty xG totals per 90, and could cause constant problems for opposition defences.
If they are not playing in the same XI as each other, they could also be a brilliant double act with one starting the match and the other coming off the bench to cause havoc, which would give defenders no time to rest during games.
