Agent reveals ‘exactly what’ Man Utd and Arsenal target ‘wants’ amid talk of £85m transfer
According to the player’s agent, reported Man Utd and Arsenal target Victor Osimhen did not want to leave Serie A side Napoli during the summer.
Osimhen signed for the Italian outfit ahead of the 2020/21 campaign for a fee of up to £70m.
The Nigeria international netted ten goals during his debut season and he followed that up with 18 goals in 32 games during the 2021/22 season.
This was a pretty good record but it feels a bit of a stretch for Napoli to set his price tag at £85m.
Naturally, Osimhen was still linked with several Premier League clubs during the summer transfer window.
It was even less surprising to find Man Utd in the running. It was suggested that Osimhen could move to Manchester as part of a swap deal with Cristiano Ronaldo.
This felt quite far-fetched at the time and it did not come off in the end as both players remained at their respective clubs.
Fabrizio Romano suggested after the summer window closed that United could have signed Osimhen but they went for Antony instead.
“I’ve seen many rumours about Napoli striker Victor Osimhen – a very good striker, a very important player,” Romano said last month.
“My understanding is the only chance to sign him was towards the end of the summer, but [Man Utd] decided to go for Antony as their priority.
“At the moment, Napoli have absolutely no intention to sell Osimhen in January. They’re having an amazing season and Osimhen is a big part of that. They’ve always said it would take more than €100m, so it won’t be easy in January to tempt Napoli into a sale.
It would be foolish of Osimhen to leave Napoli in January as they look to be on for a remarkable season.
At the time of writing, they are at the top of the table in Serie A and they have won their first four Champions League games to lead Liverpool in Group A.
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It has been suggested this week that Man Utd and Arsenal are among the three clubs in the race for Osimhen.
But Osimhen’s agent – Roberto Calenda – has now confirmed that it is the player’s “will to continue at Napoli”.
“Whoever talked about a departure made a mistake. It was Victor’s will to stay at Napoli and play the Champions League that he won entry to last year together with his teammates,” Calenda told Radio Kiss Kiss (via Caught Offside).
“Victor wanted exactly that, to have a great year with Napoli, between the league and the Champions League.
“He has a long contract with the Azzurri. The market is dynamic, but our will is to continue at Napoli and continue to do well.”
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