Napoli have slapped a £67 million price-tag on Arsenal striking target Victor Osimhen. The Gunners are looking to strengthen their front-line following the departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the January transfer window and the potential departure of other striking options.
Eddie Nketiah replaced Alexandre Lacazette in Mikel Arteta's starting XI in midweek and found the net twice against Chelsea. But as things stand, both players will leave the Emirates at the end of the season when their contracts expire.
The Gunners were linked with a number of exciting striking options in January including Dusan Vlahovic, before he opted to join Juventus instead. Real Sociedad's Alexander Isak and, more recently, Manchester City's Gabriel Jesus have been linked with a switch to north London as well and Arteta has already signalled the club's intent to strengthen in attack.
“Now is the moment we have to raise the quality," he said of their summer plans in March. “We need one who puts the ball in the net, that's priority number one. Any successful team needs enough goal threat in the squad”.
One player who could represent a marquee signing in that department is Napoli striker Victor Osimhen. The 23-year-old was brought to Serie A from Lille in the summer of 2020 but having scored 26 goals in 57 appearances in his two seasons since, has started to attract interest from around the world.
On Saturday, James Benge of CBS Sports delivered an update on the chase. "Napoli want at least €80m (£67m) if they are to consider selling Victor Osimhen," he wrote on Twitter. "He is among the many strikers Arsenal have been tracking over recent months."
It is not the first time Arsenal have tried to sign the striker either. Speaking to the Independent back in 2020, Osimhen said: “I spoke with Arsene Wenger after the tournament (Under-17 World Cup) ended and he wanted me to come to Arsenal.
"I had a lot of options. Barcelona; Inter Milan; Atletico Madrid; Juventus and the rest. Arsenal was a good option but it wasn’t the best at the time. I wanted to start playing as soon as I turned 18. I wanted to go to a place where I had time to invest in my game and improve physically. Wolfsburg showed me that possibility.
"Of course, one day I’d like to play for a big club in England... my priority is to play a lot of games. Signing for a big club and being on the bench is not exciting for me."
