Victor Osimhen will be leaving Napoli at the end of the 2023/24 season and the striker is expected to join a Premier League side.
The 25-year-old did sign a new deal with the club in December but in recent weeks, the club’s management has admitted that Victor Osimhen will not remain in Naples beyond the summer.
Numerous top European clubs have expressed interest in acquiring the forward. However, according to rumours, Chelsea is currently at the forefront of the race to sign him, with Osimhen reportedly favouring a move to Stamford Bridge.
However, according to the Mirror, Arsenal has been keeping tabs on the 25-year-old and the Gunners have decided to challenge their London rivals in this transfer race.
With players like Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah leaving, Mikel Arteta wants to bring in a new centre-forward for the 24/25 season and it’s clear that the Gunners have ear-marked Victor Osimhen as their priority target.
Arsenal is also monitoring Ivan Toney, but Brentford is seeking approximately €100 million for him. This amount is nearly identical to Napoli’s asking price for Osimhen and this could be a reason why the North London side has opted to pursue a transfer for the Nigerian international.
Victor Osimhen has been a stellar performer for Napoli, scoring 67 goals in just 119 appearances for the Serie A side and it makes perfect sense in Arsenal’s decision to spend €100 million plus on him.
However, the major issue for Mikel Arteta’s side will be to assemble the necessary funds because if they are serious about signing Osimhen then the manager will have to get rid of a host of first-team players.
Players like Thomas Partey, Nketiah, Jesus, Elneny, Smith Rowe and Lokonga have all been put up for sale and Arsenal will have to make sure they bring in as much money as possible. Apart from a new centre-forward, Arteta also wants to strengthen the central midfield position meaning he will need at least €150 million during the summer.
Victor Osimhen prefers a move to Chelsea so the Gunners will have a tough time convincing him otherwise but we believe if the Blues miss out on Champions League football, Arsenal will have a genuine shot at this.
Obviously, these are early days but both the Premier League tables will have to be ready to shell out around €100-120 million for the 25-year-old because, with three years left on his contract, there’s no way Napoli is reducing their asking price.
