Arsenal are set to sell Folarin Balogun to AS Monaco, leaving Mikel Arteta with only Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah as recognised strikers this season, but it appears the Gunners boss wants to bring in an established hitman next year.
Steve Kay of Football Transfers says Arsenal have made Napoli’s Victor Osimhen one of their prime targets for 2024 and Edu Gaspar has already opened talks with Aurelio De Laurentiis over a potential deal.
The report says Arsenal have stepped-up their interest after being given encouragement from Osimhen’s agent, Roberto Calenda, that he’d be open to a move to the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners are now laying the foundation for a deal to take place next summer.
The 24-year-old joined Napoli from LOSC Lille in 2020 and has gone on to make 103 appearances in all competitions, scoring 62 goals with 14 assists. Osimhen scored 10 league goals in his debut season and bagged 14 league goals a year later, but it was Osimhen’s 2022/23 campaign that put him on the map.
The Nigerian international scored 31 goals with five assists from 39 games across the board, resulting in every Premier League and European giant being cited as a suitor. Osimhen remained at Napoli, however, and has picked up where he left off this season – three goals from two Serie A games in 2023/24.
Big money
It’s easy to see why Arsenal would be keen but he won’t come cheap. Napoli paid €75m (£65m) for Osimhen but were requesting up to €200m (£172m) in July. Arsenal have already spent over £200m on new signings this summer, so they might not be able to match Osimhen’s asking price without selling out-of-favour players.
The good news for Arsenal is that Osimhen’s contract will have just one year left in 2024 and Football Transfers say he won’t sign an extension, so Napoli will be under pressure to cash-in next summer.
They will have to significantly reduce their asking price and Osimhen would be a brilliant acquisition for Arsenal if they could get a deal agreed to sign him next year.
