According to Javier Parra Peña of Fichajes, Chelsea and Manchester United are battling it out for Victor Osimhen, but Napoli chief Aurelio De Laurentiis told Sport Mediaset the Premier League duo may have to pay up to €200m (£172m) for his signature. He believes only Paris Saint-Germain can afford the 24-year-old this summer.
Chelsea are on the hunt for a striker as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has left to join Olympique Marseille and Romelu Lukaku is expected to be sold amid interest from Inter Milan and Juventus, so Mauricio Pochettino will be left Nicolas Jackson and Armando Broja who can operate up front.
The Blues scored just 38 goals in as many league games last season, with Aubameyang (1), Broja (1) and Joao Felix (4) barely contributing, so they needed to revamp the attack.
Man Utd are looking for a centre-forward themselves after Cristiano Ronaldo had his contract mutually terminated last season while Wout Weghorst didn’t have his loan move made permanent over the summer. They have Harry Kane on their wishlist of potential targets who might be cheaper than Osimhen, so time will tell who they end up going for.
The 24-year-old joined Napoli from LOSC Lille in a deal worth €81m (£70m) in 2020 and has gone on to make 101 appearances in all competitions, scoring 59 goals with 14 assists. He scored 31 goals across the board last season and would walk into Chelsea and Man Utd’s attack. Osimhen’s asking price is sure to prove a stumbling block, however.
Chelsea have been selling as many first-team players as possible to make up for their poor recruitment last season, so it’s hard to see them breaking their transfer record for one player. United have a budget they can’t go over unless they cash in on their outcasts, so Osimhen might not be a genuine transfer for them either.
Napoli have no desire to lower their demands, so the Nigerian international looks set to stay at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
