Manchester United are in discussions via Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes over a potential swap deal involving Napoli hitman Victor Osimhen, Tuttosport has revealed.
Ronaldo is looking to leave Old Trafford as the 37-year-old is keen on playing in the UEFA Champions League at this stage of his career. United have been reluctant to let their record goal-scorer leave this summer but Jorge Mendes has been trying to come up with solutions.
The source has reported that Mendes is holding talks over a potential deal that would see Osimhen join Manchester United and Ronaldo heading in the opposite direction on loan. The Nigerian striker is admired at United but the Serie A outfit value their man at a mammoth £100 million and do not intend to accept anything less.
Sky Sports News has also reported that Osimhen is on Manchester United’s list of potential replacements for Ronaldo, who is reportedly looking to leave the club this summer.
According to Tuttosport, United want to use Ronaldo’s market value (€40m) to reduce the fee for Osimhen but Napoli are only interested in cash for their striker. Osimhen’s agent Roberto Calenda has also explained the potential operation to his client and believes the striker should be inclined to move to the Premier League giants. It is reported that Man Utd will offer Osimhen a contract worth £10m net per season, which works out at around £192,000-a-week.
If a deal can be agreed for Osimhen, then Ronaldo would move to Napoli on a simple loan with the Red Devils covering 75% of the Portugal international’s salary.
Erik ten Hag has had an unsatisfactory first summer in charge at Manchester United. The former Ajax boss has only been able to add Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez, Christian Eriksen, and Casemiro to his ranks and has overseen a disappointing start this season (3 points from 3 games).
Our View
Victor Osimhen is widely regarded as one of the most promising strikers in Europe and the Nigerian is due for a big-money move. It’s a bit of a surprise that Osimhen was not snapped by any of the elite clubs in Europe this summer. That said, a move at this stage of the summer window (with only a week left) is looking unlikely for the forward.
The proposed deal is a monstrous one and while Napoli have been in contact with Ronaldo’s entourage since early August, United have been looking at another direction altogether, with a deal for Antony said to be getting close. So it will be difficult to get an agreement in place for Osimhen at this late stage.
Osimhen carries the attributes required to succeed in England and is a typical modern-day forward. He is pacy and strong physically and is a lethal finisher in the box. Standing tall at 1.85m, Osimhen also has an advantage in his court when it comes to winning those aerial duels and is one of the more hardworking attackers in Europe. In short, he could fit in ten Hag’s system like a glove but as I have said before, a deal at this stage of the window is looking unlikely.
Ronaldo leaving United is still a realistic option though, but that will only materialise if they manage to sign Antony, first.
