Liverpool on red alert as club chief hints at sale of unstoppable forward; Arsenal, Chelsea also hunting deal
Vinicius Junior battles Victor Osimhen during Real Madrid vs Napoli
Liverpool have been given a major boost in their chase for the signing of Victor Osimhen, as Napoli’s owner has suggested he could sell the striker – though the Reds will face competition from Arsenal and Chelsea for the deal.
Osimhen has proven himself to be one of the best strikers in Europe over the past few seasons. Last term, he bagged an incredible 31 goals in 39 matches as Napoli won their first Serie A title in 33 years and reached the last eight of the Champions League.
Osimhen has continued his fantastic scoring record this campaign, as he has already netted six goals in 10 matches.
The Nigerian was tipped to leave Napoli for one of Europe’s most illustrious clubs last summer, but all of his potential suitors were put off by his massive £150million price tag.
With Osimhen’s current contract expiring in June 2025, Napoli officials have been working to try and tie him down to fresh terms. However, their efforts were almost ruined when Napoli’s social media team posted two videos on TikTok which mocked Osimhen. The player reacted by deleting all pictures of him representing Napoli from his Instagram account.
Napoli president and owner Aurelio de Laurentiis has now provided an update on the situation. While he has confirmed that the Italian giants have a verbal agreement over a new deal with Osimhen, he has also hinted that an exit could take place if the 24-year-old enters the final year of his contract.
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“We verbally agreed on [the] new deal in August, then if things change on his side… life goes on,” De Laurentiis said (via Fabrizio Romano).
“Victor’s contract expires in June 2025, there’s always time.
Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea all want Victor Osimhen
“Remember… I sold [Kalidou] Koulibaly to Chelsea one year before [the] end of his deal.”
Premier League giants Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea will be delighted to hear that there is the possibility of Napoli selling Osimhen at the end of the season. If he refuses to negotiate fresh terms, then he will be available for less than that previous £150m asking price.
All three of those teams have identified Osimhen as a potential world-class signing to take their respective attacks to the next level.
In September, Arsenal insider Charles Watts exclusively revealed to TEAMtalk that Osimhen, who has managed 20 goals in 27 games for Nigeria, is on Arsenal’s striker shortlist.
But the transfer pursuit continues to get busier. On Tuesday, reports in Italy claimed Liverpool have ‘strong interest’ in taking Osimhen to Anfield. What this would mean for current centre-forward Darwin Nunez is unclear.
And on Wednesday, TEAMtalk exclusively reported that Chelsea chiefs view Osimhen as the perfect solution to their goalscoring problems. They would even be willing to make him the best-paid player at Stamford Bridge, ahead of current highest earners Raheem Sterling and Reece James.
De Laurentiis is often very vocal about transfers and it could be that the situation regarding Osimhen changes several times before the 2024 summer window. But if Osimhen does become available to sign, then there will be a huge scramble for his services – with English clubs right at the front of the queue.
