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Jose Mourinho clarifies damning Victor Osimhen verdict amid Chelsea transfer links

Mourinho chats to Osimhen.
-Credit: (Image: Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)


Jose Mourinho has expressed his admiration for Chelsea-linked Victor Osimhen - but the former Stamford Bridge favourite would change one thing about the free-scoring Nigerian.

The Blues were heavily linked with signing Osimhen during the summer transfer window. The striker was deemed not part of Napoli's plans under new manager Antonio Conte and was allowed to leave the club.

Chelsea pushed to sign Osimhen - with countless whispers to that effect - before the transfer window closed last month. Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ahli also tried to snap-up the frontman.

In the end, though, Osimhen completed a loan move to Galatasaray for the remainder of the season. Reports have speculated that there's a break clause in the player's contract that allows him to leave the Super Lig club should an offer come in, with it also being said that his release clause has been lowered from £110million to £67.5million.

Mourinho went up against Osimhen several times during his spell as AS Roma's manager. Now the former Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United boss will go up against the striker yet again, having been appointed as manager at Fenerbahce - Galatasaray's fierce cross-Istanbul rivals - this summer.

Having faced Osimhen in the past, Mourinho has explained why he would want to sign the striker if he had the chance. However, the former Chelsea manager also flagged-up an area of Osimhen's game that he does not like.

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"Osimhen is a fantastic player," said Mourinho during his interview for HT Spor. "He's a player that, if I was at a club with the potential to pay £70-75 million, I would buy.

"He's a fantastic player. Of course, he comes in different circumstances [to Galatasaray], but in the end that doesn't matter, what matters is that Galatasaray have got an absolutely fantastic player.

"I don't have any problems with Victor. In fact, we have a very good relationship.

"Every time we play against him, I speak with him because I don't like the way he behaves. He dives too much.

"The last time we played Roma and Napoli and I had this conversation with him. I told him; 'You are one of the two best African players, it's you and [Mohamed] Salah.

"In the past, Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto'o, George Weah... You cannot behave like this [diving].

"He dives too much and that's my problem. After 10 minutes, we are fine we have a very good relationship."