Victor Osimhen is likely to be one of the biggest talking points during the summer transfer window, with a host of Europe’s elite clubs eyeing a striker who is one of the best in the world.
The 25-year-old sparked a lot of intrigue after noting that he has already made a decision on the ‘next step’ of his career.
There are a number of clubs clamoring for a player who has his attacking firepower, but the list of clubs who can afford a £130 million striker is a lot shorter.
He signed a contract with Napoli last month until 2026, and should he move this summer, there is a good chance he will be the biggest signing of the summer.
Should he make a move to the Premier League, Moises Caicedo’s £115m British transfer fee could be blown away. With that in mind, Mail Sport assesses who could be a good fit for the Nigeria international, and who can afford him.
Victor Osimhen stressed that he has already decided on the ‘next step’ in his career
The Napoli forward is currently away with Nigeria for the Africa Cup of Nations tournament
Arsenal
The lack of a striking presence up front is hurting Arsenal in their title battle against Liverpool and Man City.
Given their struggle to find the back of the net over the festive period and before the 5-0 defeat to Crystal Palace, it is no surprise that they have been linked with Osimhen, who scored 31 goals in all competitions last season.
Mikel Arteta’s side have a choice between Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus to take the lead, with Kai Havertz playing in the central position at times.
Both players are not known as major goalscorers and it is clear that they are lacking in this area of the pitch compared to Man City and Liverpool, who have the likes of Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah to turn to.
Arsenal do not have the same attacking ability as Liverpool or Manchester City
The best strikers in the game also have a remarkable physical presence, something the Gunners lack in their front line.
Nketiah and Jesus also regularly dive deep or drift to large areas.
Osimhen would be a perfect fit for the Gunners as he can provide that physical presence while also giving the Gunners someone capable of challenging Haaland and Salah in the scoring charts.
But Osimhen commands a hefty fee, and Ivan Toney – who has also been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates – is perhaps the more likely of the two to turn to.
Likelihood rating: 3/5
Arsenal’s finishing has let them down in their title battle with Man City and Liverpool this season
Chelsea
Despite The Blues having spent well over £1 billion in the previous three transfer windows before this month, the Blues still feel somehow inadequate in attack.
The likes of Mykhailo Mudryk, Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku have all joined the club in the past year, but Mauricio Pochettino’s side – like Arsenal – lack a central point up front.
They may have stayed six goals past Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup, but in the Premier League only Manchester United have scored fewer goals than the Blues among the teams sitting in the top half of the table.
The west London side view Osimhen as a player who could fill the void that arguably hasn’t been filled since Diego Costa, and he has also drawn comparisons to Didier Drogba.
Chelsea have one major advantage in the race to sign Osimhen and that is the amount they can afford to spend on the striker.
Owner Todd Boehly isn’t afraid to splash the cash, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Chelsea made him their priority this summer to break their own British transfer record.
They have also been linked with Toney, but with the Gunners currently favorites to land the Brentford and England forward, Chelsea would have to spend more to land Osimhen.
Likelihood rating: 4/5
Chelsea are the most likely team in the Premier League to be able to afford Osimhen
Manchester United
The Red Devils are also reportedly in the window for Osimhen – which is no surprise given their problems up front this season.
Rasmus Hojlund has shown promise – especially in the Champions League – and is the club’s top scorer with seven goals in all competitions.
However, Denmark international Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have only scored seven goals between them in the Premier League this season.
That will be a concern for those at United, and after the arrivals of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS, the Red Devils could be in for a big summer.
The Nigerian star could well delay a move to Manchester United in the summer given Rasmus Hojlund’s lack of service this season, with the striker arriving for £72m last year.
The signing of Osimhen could be detrimental to Hojlund’s playing time, but the Red Devils may feel their Danish star has time to develop behind Osimhen, who is the more seasoned player of the two thanks to his excellent work at Napoli.
However, Osimhen could take a look at Hojlund’s lack of service from the likes of Antony and Rashford this season and have legitimate concerns.
Arsenal are ready for a title challenge and Chelsea appear to be a better fit for him, so Osimhen may not have the same interest in joining United as he would in a move to either of the two London sides.
United have many areas to strengthen this summer given the problems this season, so could look to back Hojlund and hope he makes a big leap in confidence next season – by surrounding him with better players.
Likelihood rating: 2/5
The Red Devils could be in for a big summer given the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS
Paris Saint-Germain
The French giants could have a big hole to fill this summer if Kylian Mbappe leaves the club as expected.
Mbappe is strongly expected to join Real Madrid, with PSG said to be determined to land a big name after both Lionel Messi and Neymar left the club last year.
PSG are one of the richest teams in world football and will certainly do everything they can to sign a player of Osimhen’s quality this summer.
The big question, however, is whether Ligue 1 will be attractive to Osimhen if he has the potential to play Premier League football.
Osimhen would immediately become PSG’s focal point, likely scoring goals for fun, and the wages they could offer could be an eye-catcher for the Nigeria international.
Likelihood rating – 3/5
PSG will likely want to spend big if they lose their prized signing Kylian Mbappe this summer
Saudi Arabia
There was great interest in bringing Osimhen to the Saudi Pro League last summer.
Al-Hilal were among the clubs that admired the 25-year-old as the Nigerian confirmed he had turned down eye-watering sums of money.
He said on the Obi One podcast with John Obi Mikel: “The more I said no to these people (in Saudi Arabia), the more they increased it and increased it. It was literally, “Wow,” when I saw these things.
“I spoke to the people in charge and we spoke to my club about it and we saw what we could do. We decided, me and them, and I said to them: ‘I like these people, I want to stay, I don’t. I think I want to leave for now’. They understand where I’m coming from, but they never gave up until their own transfer window (closed).
‘As much as we play football for money, there is more to it.’
Clubs in Saudi Arabia are still keen to clamp down on Osimhen, but it appears the striker is keen to stay in Europe.
Likelihood rating: 1/5
Are there any other clubs we should pay attention to?
The likes of Man City, Liverpool and Tottenham have also been linked with Osimhen, but they seem unlikely to sign the Nigerian.
Man City don’t need Osimhen as they have arguably the most prolific striker in the world in Erling Haaland.
Liverpool already have attacking quality and are more likely to recruit in defence.
Liverpool’s depth of attacking talent means they are unlikely to pursue a move for Osimhen
Tottenham would love to bring in Osimhen as Kane’s replacement, but it seems extremely unlikely they will have the financial pulling power compared to other clubs.
The dark horse could be Real Madrid, if for whatever reason Kylian Mbappe decides not to make the move to the Santiago Bernabeu.