Arsenal and Mikel Arteta are reportedly holding shock talks with Napoli over a 2024 move for star striker Victor Osimhen as the Nigerian stalls over a new deal in Italy.
Osimhen finished the Serie A campaign as top goalscorer last season, and his 26 league goals fired Napoli to their first title this century.
He has been linked with moves to Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Manchester United this summer, but all three have since pursued other targets and the 24-year-old now seems set to remain at the Diego Maradona stadium this summer.
Reports from Arsenal’s official website links the club with a move for the 24-year-old, with the club reportedly weighing up a 2024 move for the striker.
As per football transfers, ‘Arsenal sporting director Edu Gaspar contacted the owner of the Serie A club, Aurelio De Laurentiis, to ask about the availability of the player, having been given encouragement by the 24-year-old’s agent, Roberto Calenda.’
It is not the first time that Arsenal have been linked with a striker next summer, with reports having linked them to both Evan Ferguson and Ivan Toney next summer, though the former is thought to be priced at £100m.
Osimhen, meanwhile, will only raise his profile further still if he is to have another strong season, and Arsenal are unlikely to be the only ones on the hunt for his signature.
Priced at 200m euros this summer, he would require the Gunners to smash their transfer record (which they only set this summer by signing Declan Rice), something that they are unlikely to want to do.
As it stands, Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus are Mikel Arteta’s striker options, while new signing Kai Havertz has also been deployed there across his career to mixed effect. There remain question marks over all three, and none are likely to find the net as regularly as either Osimhen or Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, who the Gunners are trying to beat to the Premier League title.
