Arsenal to rival Chelsea for Osimhen

Arsenal has joined the race to sign Victor Osimhen from Napoli, thereby rivaling their fellow London-based English Premier League club, Chelsea.

It is common knowledge that Osimhen’s days at Napoli are numbered with the Nigerian international striker having been linked to many clubs in the summer and choosing not to extend his contract with his current Italian side.

Osimhen had been linked to a plethora of clubs ranging from Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain.

The striker’s 26 goals and five assists in 32 Serie A appearances during the 2022/23 season helped Napoli clinch their very first Scudetto in 33-years (Since 1990).

The 24-year-old contributed a further five goals in the UEFA Champions League, taking his tally for the just-concluded campaign to 31 goals in 39 matches across all competitions.

Osimhen nevertheless stayed at Napoli after he rejected Al Hilal’s €140 million (N118.9 billion) offer to Napoli with a €60 million per season salary for the player.

His agent, Roberto Calenda started negotiations with Napoli a few months ago but the two parties are yet to reach a final agreement.

The striker’s contract at the Stadio Maradona runs out in June 2025 with reports now suggesting that the race for the signing of Osimhen, continues to get intense.

A recent report claimed that Arsenal has shown a lot of seriousness in their pursuit of the striker with the Gunners setting aside the sum of £120m to land the Napoli man.

In November 2022, Osimhen’s agent was in London to meet Arsenal representatives to discuss a potential transfer for the Nigerian striker. No deal was struck at the time.

A year after, Chelsea appear to be odds-on favourites to sign Osimhen from Napoli. Multiple reports said Chelse have Osimhen on top of their wish list and are willing to sign the Nigerian during the January transfer window.

In a new twist, Arsenal has also entered the race for the 24-year-old as the Gunners look to sign a world-class striker.

Osimhen’s transfer, according to the report, has been discussed within the Arsenal hierarchy who have been watching him for several months and they will continue to do so even as the 2023/24 season progresses.

The Premier League club has two strikers in Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus who have not been clinical in front of goal.

Hence, they are keen to land a marquee signing next summer with that player suggested to be Osimhen but Arsenal faces a serious competition from Chelsea.