Eddie Howe in position of strength as Newcastle blitz Man Utd in hunt for £84m attacker
Newcastle United are reportedly at the front of the queue to sign Napoli striker Victor Osimhen – and are seemingly ready to blow away fellow suitors Manchester United in the race for the Nigerian.
Osimhen has a decent track record in Italy since signing for Naples in a mammoth £67.5m deal from Lille in summer 2020. Indeed, in his 22 games for the club this season, Osimhen has netted 11 times. That adds to the 10 goals he scored last season for Gli Azzurri, taking his total to 21 strikes in 52 appearances.
As such, it’s little surprise to see his name linked with a host of big-name suitors of late.
To that end, Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla claims Napoli are preparing for life without the 23-year-old. He reckons Napoli fully expect to receive a number of big-money offers for the striker, with Manchester United among his suitors.
He said: “It’s true. Napoli have enquired about Gianluca Scamacca, and according to our reconstructions, it would be an attempt linked to a possible pharaonic proposal for Victor Osimhen next summer. The proposal could be that of Manchester United.
“The voices of recent days are coupled with what his brother declared some time ago when he outlined a courtship from the Red Devils. Their offer fell short because there was another Nigerian there at the time (Odion Ighalo). Osimhen didn’t want to compete.”
However, multiple reports on Wednesday suggest it is Newcastle United who are leading the chase for Osimhen.
Newcastle have a bottomless pit of cash
NapoliCalcio (via Sport Witness) claims Eddie Howe’s side are ‘ready to go crazy’ to buy Osimhen.
Il Mattino, meanwhile, claims the Magpies are ‘above all’ in the race for the striker with 18 Nigeria caps.
They claim Newcastle’s bottomless pit of cash makes them the favourites. As such, the Magpies are in a position of strength to land the explosive striker in what would be a club-record £84m deal.
Victor Osimhen names Premier League inspiration
A facial injury sadly caused Osimhen to miss the recent AFCON tournament.
He could have had a major impact on the tournament, given he has scored 10 goals in 18 Nigeria appearances.
The forward has drawn comparisons to an elite African striker, Didier Drogba in the past. In an interview with Football Italia he name-dropped the former Chelsea star as an inspiration of his.
“I like Drogba, but not just as a footballer,” he said.
“I like leaders and he was it on and off the pitch, where it counts the most. He has a personality that I admire.”
Following on from talking about one Premier League star, the 23-year-old named another. He named Cristian Romero among the toughest defenders he has faced in his career.
“[Cristian] Romero, who is now at Tottenham. He was always faster than me every time we faced each other. The other one is Kalidou Koulibaly, he refuses to let me score in training. When Nigeria were eliminated from the Africa Cup of Nations, I supported Senegal,” he said.
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