It seems that Victor Osimhen’s future is one that’s been discussed right across the summer transfer window, but here we are with a week to go and the Nigerian hit-man is still a Napoli player.
For some while now the Partnopei have had to accept that the 25-year-old wants to move to pastures new, however, the Serie A giant’s insistence on any interested party matching the players reported €120m/€130m release clause (Sporting News), appears to have stalled any negotiations.
Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea have been heavily linked in the past with Arsenal being mentioned in dispatches.
Fabrizio Romano’s update on Arsenal’s Osimhen chase
As Fabrizio Romano advanced on Friday with a week to go in the window, however, no clubs are close to landing him at the moment.
“Guys, I can guarantee that as of today, there is still no substantial update on Victor Osimhen,” he said to CaughtOffside for his Daily Briefing.
“I know there are many Chelsea fans that keep asking, but as I keep telling you, Osimhen to Chelsea is only a topic for the final days of the window, not today, not yesterday, not tomorrow, for the final days alone.
“Osimhen doesn’t want to go on loan, as I told you, and doesn’t want to reduce his salary, so let’s see if they can find a way, or maybe if some other door could open for Osimhen.
“The only club to have an agreement on the contract this summer was Paris Saint-Germain in July, then talks between PSG and Napoli were very complicated, and so PSG left the negotiations.
“There is nothing regarding Arsenal’s reported interest from what I know, and it’s also not about which team are the favourites to sign him, it’s about who can agree with Napoli and with the player.
“Let’s see what’s going to happen in the final days, but at the moment, it’s still quiet.”
It’s believed that both Arsenal and Chelsea are still looking for a striker to complement their squads, and until the player or his representatives say otherwise, all options remain open to them.
Given that Romelu Lukaku is on the verge of completing his switch to Napoli from Chelsea, there is a need for the Italians to move Osimhen on as soon as practicable.
That may require some willingness from their point of view to lower the player’s release clause, or else they run the risk of having a very unhappy striker in their side during the first half of the 2024/25 campaign.
