Chelsea’s pursuit of Atletico Madrid striker Samu Omorodion has hit a brick wall, and the deal now off the table, according to The Athletic.
The Blues had agreed a £34.5 million fee for the 20-year-old striker and were ready to offer him a seven-year contract with the option of an additional 12 months.
However, the Athletic reports that there was a ‘major problem’ in finalising the contract terms, which has now scuppered the transfer.
Despite increasing their initial offer to lure Omorodion to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea’s efforts have proven fruitless.
The young striker impressed on loan at Deportivo Alaves last season, scoring nine goals and providing an assist and was seen as a promising addition to the Blues’ attacking line-up.
Atletico and Chelsea already have a deal in place for the Spanish giants to sign Conor Gallagher for a fee of around £33m. They also have an agreement to sign Julian Alvarez from Manchester City for a whopping £81m.
However, Atletico need to sell players to fund their transfers. With the Omorodion deal in tatters, Chelsea have now turned their attention to another Atletico player, Joao Felix.
The Portuguese forward has previously had a loan spell at Chelsea and could make a sensational return to the Bridge this summer.
Felix has fallen out of favour at Atletico and spent last season on loan at Barcelona, where he notched ten goals and six assists in 46 appearances across all competitions.
With Omorodion now poised to remain at Atletico, Felix could be the one to leave the Wanda Metropolitano, and his agent’s presence in London has fuelled speculation of an impending deal.
Meanwhile, Chelsea are still looking to add another striker to their ranks and have reignited their interest in wantaway Napoli marksman Victor Osimhen.
Napoli are seriously interested in signing Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, so both clubs are in talks to find a mutually beneficial solution before the end of the transfer window.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
