Arsenal are reportedly expected to be one of the clubs in the running for the potential transfer of Napoli striker Victor Osimhen as they look to strengthen up front this summer.
Osimhen is one of the most exciting attacking talents in world football right now and it seems inevitable that there will be a major race for his signature in the months ahead.
According to a report from Corriere dello Sport, as cited and translated by Sport Witness, Arsenal are likely to be alongside the likes of Chelsea in the mix for Osimhen, as they’ve also notably been linked with other top strikers in the form of Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres and Bologna’s Joshua Zirkzee.
The report adds that the Gunners and other suitors face paying as much as €130million for Osimhen, which is the value of his release clause at Napoli.
Osimhen transfer: Will Arsenal pay up for the Napoli striker?
Arsenal don’t normally splash out on marquee signings, though they made an exception last summer when they went all out to bring Declan Rice in from West Ham United, so it could be that they’ll be prepared to do something similar with Osimhen.
The Nigeria international could really add something different to this Arsenal attack, with doubts surely starting to linger over both Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah in that department.
Jesus is a quality player, but not exactly the most clinical finisher in the world, while he’s also had numerous issues staying fit since joining from Manchester City, so it might be worth bringing in an upgrade if possible.
Nketiah, meanwhile, has never been more than a squad player, and he might well be at the point in his career where he wants to leave and play more somewhere else, and it’s hard to imagine AFC being too bothered about losing him.
Osimhen seems the best solution for Arsenal, but fans would probably also be pretty happy with Gyokeres or Zirkzee, who’d probably be cheaper.