According to an Italian journalist named Fabrizio Romano, who spoke with GIVEMESPORT, Napoli will make a decision about the future of Manchester United target Victor Osimhen after the end of the current season.
Romano believes that it will be tough for the Premier League club to negotiate a transfer for Osimhen, who is a well-known striker who has been linked with a move to Old Trafford in the next summer.
ESPN reports that Osimhen is one of three potential center-forward players that United is looking at in advance of the summer transfer season.
In addition to the striker for Napoli, speculations have it that Manchester United are also interested in the promising youngster from Slovenia, Benjamin Sesko, as well as Tottenham Hotspur’s all-time leading scorer, Harry Kane.
It is claimed that Erik ten Hag is eager to land a long-term centre-forward option, with those three names regarded as prospective choices. This is the case despite the fact that Wout Weghorst was signed during the January transfer window.
Regarding Osimhen, ESPN is suggesting that his deal may cost United near to 90 million pounds, and this is assuming that Napoli would even explore the possibility of negotiations.
The Nigerian international still has more than two years remaining on his current term, with his contract being slated to expire in July 2025 despite having joined Napoli in the year 2020.
There have already been rumors circulating that it will be difficult for Manchester United to reach an agreement with Napoli. This was something that journalist Carlo Garganese highlighted in a recent interview with GMS.
Garganese referred to Aurelio De Laurentiis, the president of Napoli, as the “ultimate maestro” of selling major players and hinted that De Laurentiis would demand a hefty transfer fee from Manchester United if the English club showed interest in Osimhen.
Osimhen’s future in front of the 2023–24 season is still unknown, despite the fact that he is obviously a player that the Stretford-based team is interested in.
In an interview with GMS, the expert on player transfers, Romano, stated that any decision about the striker will most likely be made at the end of the current season.
Romano stated the following on United’s pursuit of a striker: “Dusan Vlahovic depends on the scenario at Juventus.”
“At the moment, Napoli don’t even want to negotiate for Victor Osimhen,” the commentator said.
“Napoli just wants to concentrate on the current season; in the summer, the club will make a decision about the number of players they will sell,”
The number of goals Osimhen has scored speaks for itself. The Nigerian player has scored 17 goals in 21 games so far this season, and he has also provided four assists for his team (Transfermarkt).
His goals have played a significant role in Napoli’s rise to the top of Serie A, and the team’s chances of winning the Scudetto for the first time since 1990 are currently quite good.
According to FBref, the talisman of Napoli is among the top two percent of strikers in terms of non-penalty goals scored per ninety minutes of play.
The fact that Osimhen, who is 24 years old and currently plays for Naples, has been sidelined for more than 40 matches since he joined the club is one factor that could discourage United from signing him in the summer.