Arsenal and Manchester United have reportedly been told to stump up €120 million to sign Nigerian hitman Victor Osimhen from Napoli.
According to the Italian newspaper Il Corriere Dello Sport, as relayed by Football Italia, Serie A giants Napoli have reportedly raised the price tag for Arsenal and Manchester United target Victor Osimhen after rejecting a €100 million bid from Newcastle United in January.
Having signed him for a club-record fee from French outfit LOSC Lille back in 2020, Napoli are determined not only to recoup that value but also to profit handsomely. Napoli, for their part, appear unfazed by the speculation of European interest for their revered striker, particularly from those in the Premier League.
In fact, they are expected to encourage a bidding war, with many reports suggesting that the Serie A club could be looking for a fee of around €120 million, which would make the Nigerian international one of the most expensive players of all time.
Regarded as one of the most gifted young attackers in Europe, the 23-year-old has scored 25 goals in 55 appearances for the Serie A outfit to date. His progress this term, though, has often been halted by an unfortunate injury due to which he missed a chunk of the season. But the striker has shown no signs of slowing down since returning and continues to produce the goods in crucial moments this season.
With a sensational return of 15 goals from 25 games across all competitions, the Nigerian is leading an unlikely title charge for the Partenopei. Currently standing second in the league table, Luciano Spalletti’s side are now only one point behind league leaders AC Milan following their recent slip-up at Bologna. Napoli have the golden ticket to overtake the Rossoneri in this final stretch of games and lift the Scudetto for the first time since 1990.
Needless to say, Osimhen’s brilliant rise in stock has put multiple elite clubs on red alert. Newcastle United were even prepared to splash the cash on the Napoli forward in January, lodging a tempting €100 million bid to secure his services. But Napoli resisted and decided to sell the star striker come summer, if at all, to extract the best value for their asset. Arsenal and Manchester United are hot on his trail.
Arsenal, for one, have been extensively scouting Osimhen recently. The Gunners desperately need striking reinforcements once the transfer window re-opens after losing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Barcelona in January. At the same time, Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah are out of contract at Arsenal at the close of the current campaign.
As far as Manchester United are concerned, despite boasting a talented strikeforce, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani, and Marcus Rashford, the Red Devils have struggled in front of goal this season. This was seen most recently when Bruno Fernandes was deployed in the striker role during their recent draw with Leicester City.
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Like Arsenal, Manchester United will scour the market to bolster their attacking ranks at the end of the season, making Victor Osimhen a viable target. However, the Premier League clubs will need to shell out a whopping €120 million to convince Napoli to part with their forward. With the race to sign the Nigerian attacking powerhouse likely to heat up between now and the end of the season, it remains to be seen who will break the bank for him.