Napoli have reportedly pinned a stratospheric £102millon price tag on in-demand striker Victor Osimhen, heavily linked with Manchester United. As per The Sun, the Partenopei have to sell the Nigerian star to facilitate Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival from Old Trafford.
Osimhen has enjoyed a stellar start to the season, scoring in both opening Serie A matches as Napoli wallopped Hellas Verona and Monza via an aggregate score of 9-2. Brought in from Lille in a club-record deal worth €70m in 2020, the 23-year-old has experienced mixed fortunes in southern Italy.
Recurring injury issues have curtailed Osimhen’s progress at Napoli. But when fit and firing, he has been Luciano Spalletti’s most lethal weapon in the front third. With Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne waving goodbye to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in the summer, he looked destined to lead the Partenopei attack for years to come.
However, destiny seems to have other plans for Osimhen. The star gunslinger has caught the eye of Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag. After parting with Edinson Cavani earlier in the summer, the Red Devils have no out-and-out striker. They hope to make the Napoli talisman their new attacking leader.
Man Utd are hellbent on taking Osimhen to Old Trafford in the final days of the summer. But to make that happen, they’d have to fork out up to £102m to convince Napoli to sell. Known as a stubborn negotiator, Aurelio De Laurentiis is unlikely to doll out any favours to ten Hag’s side.
On the other hand, Napoli are keen to bring Ronaldo back to Serie A. The veteran forward looks to leave Man Utd to secure Champions League football. He has already offered himself to several sides in Europe, including Milan and Inter.
Since both Milan teams declined Ronaldo’s services, his representatives have reached out to Napoli. Still, a path leading to the his move to Naples hinges on the future of Osimhen. Unless the Partenopei sanction the Nigerian’s move to Man Utd, the Portguese’s arrival won’t be feasible.