Manchester United, Chelsea and Bayern Munich are all in the race to sign Napoli’s Victor Osimhen but, according to Premier League icon Didier Drogba, there is one club the Serie A hotshot must not join during the summer transfer window.
Osimhen’s 26th goal of a remarkable campaign was, in the end, little more than a consolation.
A late equaliser on Tuesday night at least saved Luciano Spalletti’s side from defeat against AC Milan in the second-leg of their Champions League quarter-final. But it was not enough to stop the Rossoneri from reaching the last-four for the first time since 2007.
Will Manchster United win race for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen?
Whether this is Osimhen’s final appearance in the sky blue of Napoli in Europe’s premiere club competition remains to be seen.
According to transfer expert Ben Jacobs, via TEAMtalk, Osimhen has ‘one eye’ on Manchester United. A summer switch to Old Trafford, Jacobs adds, is a more likely scenario than the Nigeria international ending up at Chelsea, even if Napoli’s staggering, £100 million-plus price-tag is likely to stretch United’s budget to it’s limits; new owners or not.
Bayern Munich are also in the conversation. Though there is a feeling that Osimhen may be too expensive for the Bundesliga giants. Bayern, after all, have all-but ruled out signing Harry Kane for a similar fee.
One of the most iconic strikers of the 21st century, meanwhile, believes that there is one club Osimhen must steer clear of. Paris Saint-Germain, after all, are proof that money does not always guarantee success. Well, continental success at any rate.
“If he (Osimhen) is really in the sights of a club like PSG,” the Chelsea legend tells Canal Plus. “It shows the full extent of his talent and the season he is having.
“But PSG is not the club he needs to continue his progress.”
‘World class’
Manchester United will make an elite-level centre-forward their number one target this summer; doubts swirling about the futures of Wout Weghorst and Anthony Martial.
Osimhen, meanwhile, is younger than Harry Kane and arguably a more proven option than Benfica’s Goncalo Ramos, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani or Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund.
“He is extremely influential in the team,” Napoli team-mate Kim Min-Jae tells the UEFA website. “(Osimhen) is rightly considered one of the best players in the world.
“He doesn’t just attack. He (also) helps defensively. I can’t give an actual percentage in terms of how much he’s contributing to the team, but he’s contributing a lot. He always encourages us with his positive energy.
“He’s a world-class player.”
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