Krishnan Sreekumar
Manchester United learn asking price for Napoli ace Victor Osimhen as whopping £83m transfer fee revealed
According to Corriere dello Sport via Fichajes (h/t The Sun), Manchester United have learned the asking price in order to secure the services of Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, with the English club looking to add attacking reinforcements in the summer.
The forward has been one of the best goalscorers in Italy since making his move from LOSC Lille in France in 2020, consistently finding the back of the net and regularly leading the line for his team. He is also a full Nigeria international, representing his country since 2017.
His exploits in Serie A have caught the attention of United, who are in the market at the end of the season to look for potential targets to add to their attacking ranks, which has blanked this term and proven to be unreliable.
Despite boasting names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani, and Marcus Rashford in the first team, the Red Devils have arguably struggled to score goals in recent times. In games, they have either been unable to give their team the lead, or break down stubborn opposition defences who sit tight and compact.
Competition from north London
Not just United, but Arsenal are also keen on signing Osimhen in the summer after losing star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Barcelona in January, while Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah are out of contract at the end of the current campaign.
However, the Premier League clubs will need to shell out a whopping £83million to convince Napoli to part with their forward. It is said that a move this summer appears unlikely for the Nigerian, as negotiations to sign the player would be difficult with Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, who is known for driving a hard bargain.
With both English sides desperate for forward options ahead of the new season, Osimhen would have proved to be a good buy for the PL clubs given his impressive goalscoring record while at Lille and Napoli over the past couple of years.
At Manchester, Ronaldo and Cavani are both in their late 30s while Rashford is woefully out of form, which leaves us with hardly anyone to rely on to supply the goals next term. Edinson Cavani is also likely to depart on a free transfer once his current deal at Old Trafford expires in the summer.
Osimhen is a great talent to have in the squad, but even clubs like United would probably take a second opinion on whether to shell out such a massive amount on a player who is only 23 years old and does not have any Premier League experience.
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It is never easy moving between leagues and continuing your form, and the Nigerian has proved it when he moved from Ligue 1 to Serie A and yet impressed with his goalscoring exploits- but that is no guarantee for success in the Premier League. Perhaps, a move for Osimhen may not be easy and in all honesty, the club should think long and hard about meeting the valuation.
After all, that would make him the second most expensive signing in the entire history of the club- eclipsing Harry Maguire and placing him just behind Paul Pogba in the list.
