Arsenal suddenly emerge as favourites to bring striker everyone wants to Premier League in record deal topping £130m

Samuel Bannister 06 Mar 2023 6:00 PM

Arsenal have become the leading contenders to lure an in-demand striker to the Premier League in the summer, it has been claimed.

It has been a season to remember so far for Arsenal. They are currently five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League after 26 games each. Now, their task is to cross the finishing line successfully.

Even if they are caught in the title race, returning to Champions League qualification would still represent major progress by Mikel Arteta’s side. It seems they are finally finding the right formula for further success.

That said, there are still some areas of their squad they might need to address in the summer in order to carry their good fortunes over into next season.

For example, they could have benefitted from having another centre-forward this season. Gabriel Jesus missed a section of the season through injury and had lost some form beforehand anyway.

Behind him in the pecking order, doubts remain about the ability of Eddie Nketiah to step up on a consistent basis.

Therefore, Arsenal have been linked with a few centre-forwards in recent weeks. Now, they have suddenly emerged in the race for one all the top teams seem to want at present.

Indeed, Rai Sport journalist Ciro Venerato has now suggested Arsenal are the most likely Premier League side to sign Victor Osimhen from Napoli.

Like Arsenal, Napoli are currently top of their domestic league. They have an even healthier lead at the Serie A summit. However, while they may be preparing to celebrate, they are also cautious that they could lose some of their most impressive performers.

Osimhen has scored 21 goals from 26 appearances in all competitions this season. As such, he is one of their most in-demand players.

Manchester United have been heavily linked with the Nigeria international as they seek a new centre-forward. Likewise, TEAMtalk understands he is on Chelsea’s shortlist.

But according to Venerato, Arsenal have become the favourites among Osimhen’s English admirers.

Arsenal ahead of competition for Osimhen

While admitting Chelsea and Man Utd can still be part of the “duel” for his signature, Arsenal appear to be at the front of the queue.

They will have to be wary of competition from PSG in Ligue 1, though. They have previously negotiated successfully with Napoli for Ezequiel Lavezzi, Edinson Cavani and Fabian Ruiz.

Therefore, Venerato believes Osimhen could be the next to go from Naples to Paris.

As things stand, no club has made contact with Napoli. However, several big sides are speaking with Osimhen’s entourage, according to the reporter.

In order to sign him, they will have to meet Napoli’s €150million (£133m asking price). The 24-year-old is due to be under contract at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona until 2025, after all.

That said, Napoli have been considering who could replace Osimhen for at least two months, according to Venerato. They are looking at various types of strikers in case they lose their current main man.

There is a growing acknowledgement in Naples that the club might struggle to find the right balance to match Osimhen’s ambitions, despite how strong they have been this season.

Therefore, he will become one of the most wanted strikers in the summer transfer window. Perhaps Arsenal have a chance of winning the race for him if they are willing to break their transfer record.

Arsenal Victor Osimhen