Manchester United are long-term admirers of Victor Osimhen and a summer move for the Napoli star is ‘one to watch’ at Old Trafford, CBS reporter Ben Jacobs has told GIVEMESPORT.
Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag will be handed another opportunity to strengthen his squad when the transfer window reopens, having completed the loan acquisitions of Jack Butland, Wout Weghorst and Marcel Sabitzer in January.
Man United transfer news – Victor Osimhen
According to respected journalist Florian Plettenberg, Manchester United are among a host of clubs to have held talks over the possibility of signing Osimhen.
The Sky Sports Germany reporter suggests Manchester City, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have also opened discussions over the Napoli striker, but Bayern Munich have ruled themselves out of the race due to his price tag.
It is understood that Manchester United will have to pay upwards of £88million if they want to seal a deal for Osimhen in the coming months.
But it seems the financial demands have not put the Red Devils off as the Nigeria international is top of a four-man shortlist of targets which also includes Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane, Roma goal-getter Tammy Abraham and Benjamin Sesko, of Red Bull Salzburg.
In a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT, journalist Steve Bates claimed Osimhen would be a ‘better option’ for Manchester United than Kane.
What has Ben Jacobs said about Osimhen?
Jacobs understands that Manchester United’s interest has refused to go away after initially failing to sign Osimhen three years ago.
The journalist believes the 24-year-old would become one of the first names on the team-sheet if he completes a switch to Old Trafford.
Jacobs told GIVEMESPORT: “Obviously, Manchester United have tried for Victor Osimhen before. He was wanted in 2020, before he joined Napoli, but Osimhen – at that point – didn’t think he’d get much game-time and it was important to him to get minutes.
“Now, if he joins Manchester United, he is a starter and he is exactly what Manchester United need. That’s one to watch, for sure, but there will be plenty of others eyeing up Victor Osimhen.”
Would Osimhen be an upgrade on Man United’s current strikers?
FBref data shows that Osimhen has been averaging more goals and shots on target – by a significant margin – per 90 minutes than Wout Weghorst, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford this season.
With that being the case, there is no doubt that the £93,000-per-week man would be an exciting addition to the Manchester United attack.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is the only Napoli teammate to have been handed a better average match rating for their Serie A performances by WhoScored, further highlighting that Osimhen is a consistently high performer.
The former Lille talisman is already close to amassing 30 goal contributions for the campaign and he has been pivotal in his current employers’ push for the Italian title.
Osimhen, who has found the back of the net more than 80 times during the early stages of his club career, would take Manchester United to a new level.