Arsenal and Man United ‘among five clubs in the running’ for Victor Osimhen

Premier League clubs, Arsenal and Manchester United are ‘among five clubs in the running’ to sign for Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen from Napoli, according to reports in Italy. 

Osimhen, 26, scored 31 goals in all competitions as he fired Napoli to a first Serie A title in 33 years in the 2022-23 season. He followed that up with another 17 last season and this campaign he has bagged 26 on loan at Galatasaray, who are running away with the Turkish league.

Osimhen has a £63m release clause, but Napoli know that his contract is up in 2026 – or 2027 at most, as they hold the option to extend it. 

Arsenal and Manchester United will face competition from Juventus and Barcelona for his signature in the summer, according to Corriere dello Sport via Football Italia. 

Galatasaray are also trying to retain his services on a permanent basis.

‘Osimhen will announce his decision in April,’ the club’s vice-president, Abdullah Kavukcu, said as per Sport Mediaset.  ‘At the moment, five of the world’s top clubs are interested in him. His arrival here was a dream—he came, and for now, he is playing with us.

‘In January, there was talk of a transfer, but he stayed. He loves Galatasaray very much. Right now, he is the dream of all our rivals.

‘Although we are focused on winning the title, we have not had direct discussions with Victor yet. There is no point in talking about it now.

‘Galatasaray are a top-level club—if it weren’t, Victor wouldn’t have come. His stay at Galatasaray is not as impossible as it may seem.’

Juventus are seen as the leading candidates for Osimhen as they look to offload and replace Dusan Vlahovic.