Arsenal return for Osimhen after fee slash
Italian rumours state that after Napoli lowered their asking price, Premier League powerhouse Arsenal is getting ready to launch a bid for Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen.
The Gunners, who placed second in the 2023–2024 Premier League season, are now prepared to engage in talks with the previous Serie A winners. Napoli is no longer demanding the €120 million release clause that was a part of Osimhen's new deal, which was signed in December 2023, according to Il Matino on Monday.
The 25-year-old striker is not interested in moving to Saudi Arabia, even if the country has made him hefty offers. Napoli is eager to get rid of him this summer so they can concentrate on signing a new striker. But closing a transaction has proven difficult, despite Aurelio De Laurentiis, the president of Napoli, aggressively trying on the sale.
Should Osimhen leave Diego Maradona Stadium this summer, Napoli has selected Romelu Lukaku, a forward from Belgium, and Artem Dovbyk, a striker from Ukraine, as possible replacements, according to the Campania newspaper.
In the current transfer saga, Rasmus Hojlund, a striker who joined the Red Devils last season and had an impressive first campaign, is apparently being considered for a player-plus-cash move with Osimhen by Manchester United.
Despite Osimhen's pivotal involvement in Napoli's recent accomplishments, like as their Scudetto-winning 2022–23 campaign, the club is ready to cash in on him. The club recently lowered their asking price to €100 million because his release clause, which was originally set between €120 and €130 million, has proven to be a stumbling point for potential bidders.
Although Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, and Manchester United have all been linked with Osimhen, no official bids have been made, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. Napoli also turned down an offer exceeding €200 million from a Saudi Arabian club last summer.
Osimhen, who paid over €75 million to sign from Lille in 2020, has become one of the most exciting strikers in international football, and as a result, he is a hot commodity this summer, wanted by a number of elite European teams.