Five clubs that could now sign Victor Osimhen including Arsenal and Man Utd | OneFootball

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Last season, Napoli achieved something they hadn't managed in 33 years as they won Serie A. This was the third Scudetto in the club’s history – the first since the days of Deigo Maradona in 1990. At the heart of their success was talisman Victor Osimhen who scored 26 league goals in 32 games, as well as picking up five assists.

You would think a season as good as that would be enough to cement the striker's untouchable status as a club legend forever. However, after a poor start to the season – in which time he's still netted three Serie A goals in five games – it appears as though some of those at Gli Azzurri have short memories. Indeed, the player was recently mocked by the club's own social media team after he missed a penalty in a 0-0 draw against Bologna on Sunday.

Understandably, Osimhen was been left angered and upset by the distasteful content and is set to take legal action against Napoli. On top of this, he has also removed all references to the Italian club on his Instagram page – sparking wide debate about his future with the club. With this being the current state of play, we've decided to list five football clubs which could be interested in signing the Nigerian forward, who was valued at a staggering £150m by his club during the summer.

Manchester United

For some time now, Man United have been on the lookout for a striker who knows how to find the back on a regular basis. Marcus Rashford is the club's best goalscorer but he operates best when stationed out on the left. And while £72m summer Rasmus Hojlund is very talented, at 20 years of age it may take some time before he can be counted upon as a prolific forward.

With that in mind, if Erik ten Hag really wants to get the club back to the top of English football in the short term, the Red Devils may look for someone who is ready to bring goals right now. It's a known fact that Osimhen has been a target for some time too, with the Manchester Evening News first naming him on the club's shortlist back in November last year, and rumours persisted throughout the summer. In the end, money was spent on the more attainable option of Hojlund but with the Napoli man potentially ready to force his way out of the club, United could find themselves in a position to make a move this winter.

Real Madrid

In light of the events this week, Mail Sport have already named Real Madrid as one of the clubs who could push to sign the 24-year-old striker this January. The Spanish giants obviously lost Karim Benzema in the summer and only brought in veteran forward Joselu as a replacement. With six goals to his name already, Jude Bellingham has proven himself to be a great addition to the attack but Los Blancos will surely want a more natural goalscorer in the team soon enough.

Of course, they have plans to sign Kylian Mbappé in the near future but with his contract at Paris Saint-Germain set to expire in the summer, he could arrive in Madrid on a free transfer. This would potentially free up some money to be spent on another new and exciting transfer. If Osimhen was to join alongside the French World Cup winner – having only just snapped up English superstar Bellingham – it could mark a return of the first Galacticos era, which we saw under current chairman Florentino Pérez in the early 2000s.

Arsenal

As per the Irish Mirror, a number of English clubs have been put "on red-alert" by the news that the Nigerian could be set to sue his own club. Arsenal are among the Premier League sides to be named in the report and they have had their eyes on the forward for some time now. Indeed, speaking to Centregoals (via football.london), Osimhen once revealed how the Gunners had closely looked at him as an 18-year-old back in 2017. He said: "I spoke with Arsene Wenger and he wanted me to come to Arsenal but it was not the best option at the time."

It seems good timing that the striker should suddenly appear as an option on the market as Mikel Arteta's men have been heavily linked with another new forward this week as well. Indeed, former player Paul Merson suggested in his Sky Sports column that Ivan Toney should be signed to replace Eddie Nketiah – while a report in The Times suggests this could happen for up to £80m. But perhaps Arsenal should be a little more ambitious and snub the Brentford ace in favour of a move for the 24-year-old Serie A winner.

Chelsea

It's no secret that Chelsea could do with a proven goalscorer leading the line. After all, summer signing Nicolas Jackson has scored just one goal in his first six league games for the club so far – picking up five yellow cards along the way. With the Blues struggling, something will need to change and we all know how Todd Boehly loves to throw money at a problem. He'd certainly need an awful lot of cash to land Osimhen too, having been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge during the summer.

That aforementioned article in Mail Sport this week names Chelsea as one team who still hold an interest in the forward. However, it does add that a deal could be complicated by a new wage structure at the club, as Boehly and Clearlake Capital have implemented an incentivised pay system in player contracts which is linked to Champions League qualification – their wages reportedly fluctuate depending on whether they were competing in the competition or not. Seeing as it seems very unlikely that they'll be playing in that tournament any time soon, it could be hard to convince Osimhen to join. But the likes of Moises Caicdeo and Romeo Lavia arrived in the summer despite having alternative options, so who knows how this will play out.

Saudi Pro League

While a number of veteran stars moved to the Saudi Pro League this summer – such as Benzema N'Golo Kante, and Roberto Firmino – plenty of younger talents also swapped European football for the Middle East. Stars still in their 20s such as Gabri Veiga, Ruben Neves and Roger Ibanez all made the move heading into their peak years, which suggests that a transfer for Osimhen isn't entirely out of the question.

As per Mail Sport, "Saudi Arabian clubs will lead the pursuit" of the Napoli ace should he look to depart in the near future. It's not revealed which teams specifically will try and chase the forward but it's safe to assume that whoever emerges as the favourite will have more than enough money in the bank to pay both a transfer fee and the player's wages. He currently earns a reported £91k-p/w, with his contract set to expire in 2025.