Chelsea: 'Disrespectful' offer forced transfer 'collapse'; £34.5m star to ...
A ‘disrespectful’ offer made to Atletico Madrid star Samu Omorodion by Chelsea reportedly was the reason why his move to Stamford Bridge ‘collapsed’.
One of Chelsea‘s priorities ahead of this summer transfer window was to sign a new striker and Omorodion recently emerged as their preferred target.
The 20-year-old is yet to make a senior appearance for Atletico Madrid but he impressed while on loan at Deportivo Alaves last season. He scored eight goals for the Spanish side in his 35 appearances across all competitions.
Omorodion fits into Chelsea’s recruitment model under co-owner Todd Boehly and they agreed to a deal with Atletico Madrid after bidding around £34.5m for the inexperienced striker.
Chelsea and Atletico Madrid have been in talks over transfers for a while and they also reached an agreement over Conor Gallagher’s move to La Liga for around £34m. The Spanish side are also finalising a deal to sign Man City star Julian Alvarez for £64m plus add-ons.
Last week, these three deals looked likely to be completed, but it emerged on Sunday night that Omorodion’s proposed move to Chelsea has ‘collapsed’, with Sky Sports saying this is because of a ‘contractual issue’.
READ: Samu Omorodion for Conor Gallagher should be the final straw for Chelsea fans
Sky Sports reported: ‘Chelsea’s proposed deal for Atletico Madrid forward Samu Omorodion has collapsed, throwing Conor Gallagher and Julian Alvarez’s moves into doubt.
‘Omorodion’s move is now off following contractual issues, with Chelsea and Atletico now working on a return to London for Joao Felix, who spent time on loan at Stamford Bridge in 2023, to try and solve the transfer puzzle.’
A report from Spanish journalist Marcos Benito claims Omorodion’s move to Chelsea ‘collapsed’ after he felt ‘disrespected’ by their ‘attempt to buy 50%’ of his image rights.
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He explained: “Chelsea have attempted to buy 50% of Omorodion. Option rejected by the player and this breaks any future offer. He sees it as a lack of respect.
“Atleti want to bring Joao Félix into the deal, but Maresca sees signing a striker as a priority.”
Omorodion won’t be signing for Chelsea, but he could still join a Premier League club this summer. Journalist Ben Jacobs claims the youngster has been “offered” to two Premier League clubs in recent hours.
“Samu Omorodion is currently being offered to several clubs, including Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Leverkusen. Bournemouth and Villa haven’t initiated the contact and aren’t currently working on a deal.
“Leverkusen held an interest prior to Chelsea agreeing a fee with Atletico.”
Regarding Felix, Jacobs added: “Joao Felix is keen on returning to Chelsea. Aston Villa is aware of his preference. Talks ongoing with a deal for around €50m now possible.”
