As revealed by Sport Repubblica, Arsenal have jumped into the driver’s seat in the race to sign Napoli talisman Victor Osimhen this summer.
The player’s agent is pushing to send his client to the Premier League and London seems to be the most likely destination for the Nigerian star.
The 25-year-old’s future has been a big talking point for the past few months. Osimhen is no longer interested in providing his services to the Gli Azzurri.
His value has skyrocketed since he guided the Napoleons to a Scudetto in the 2022/23 campaign with 26 goals to his name (a record for an African player in Serie A).
OSIMHEN HAS MADE IT CLEAR – HE WANTS TO LEAVE
The player’s aura has diminished to a huge extent. He stayed away from preseason games and didn’t feature for his parent club in their first league match as well. It is a clear sign that he wants to leave.
Napoli director Giovanni Manna and president Aurelio de Laurentiis are aware of the striker’s intentions and have received his transfer request.
The director is currently in London to secure Chelsea outcast Romelu Lukaku’s permanent move to Italy. It is said that he will try to propose a move for Osimhen. The negotiations are scheduled for Friday at midnight.
Arsenal are ahead of Chelsea for Osimhen. The player’s agent is aiming to get him a place in the Premier league. Napoli director Giovanni Manna is in London to hold with Chelsea for Lukaku and could negotiate the same of Osimhen too.@SportRepubblica
— The Bottom Corner (@thebottomcorna) August 25, 2024
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However, the African star’s agent Calenda favours an Arsenal transfer even if the Blues are long-term admirers. This is already a huge advantage since the Gunners can open talks and get an upper hand immediately.
The North London side hasn’t signed an attacker since January last year (former Brighton and Hove Albion star Leandro Trossard was the last offensive deal to happen).
ARSENAL TO ANALYSE THE PROS AND CONS
Even if the Osimhen move looks simple on paper, they need to play hardball while negotiating the transfer fee. The Serie A giants are demanding £100 million but might settle for less or risk keeping an unhappy player on the bench.
Mikel Arteta’s side value him at £84.5m. The ball is in our court and we need another Edu masterclass here.
However, Arsenal need to be careful of a few points here. Firstly, the player made a crazy wage demand of £ 500,000 a week from Chelsea. The Gunners can’t accept such delusional numbers since that will surely disrupt the harmony within the squad. Their highest earner is Kai Havertz, who bags £ 280,000 per week.
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Secondly, the Napoli striker is a ‘big head’ and had arguments with the former manager and his teammates. Arteta doesn’t want notorious characters but leaders for the future.
As things stand, the Spaniard has made peace with his current attacking options and it remains to be seen whether he requests the management to go after a forward before August 31st.
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