Arsenal

Arsenal

Premier League • England

Victor Osimhen transfer latest: Opening Edu offer slapped down as cheeky Arsenal bid falls well short

Victor Osimhen celebrates after scoring a goal during Serie A football match between Sampdoria and Napoli at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium, Genova , Italy

Arsenal have seen a lowball opening bid to sign Victor Osimhen unsurprisingly given short shrift by Napoli, according to a report in the Italian media.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is desperate to add a world-class striker to his ranks this summer. With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang departing in January, the Gunners tried to prise Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina – only to be beaten to the punch by Juventus. Now the towering Serb has explained the factors behind his Arsenal snub.

Those needs have since increased with last week’s news that Alexandre Lacazette is returning to Lyon on a free transfer. That leaves just Eddie Nketiah as their sole, senior No 9 – but he too is out of contract and available to leave on a free.

As such, the Gunners are honing in on three potential recruits. Indeed, they have Gianluca Scamacca, Gabriel Jesus and Osimhen all in their sights.

Of the three, it seems a deal for Jesus looks most likely.

Confirmation on Monday that Erling Haaland is a Manchester City player only furthers the likelihood of Jesus moving on. And the Gunners appear to be in the driving seat to sign the Brazilian despite one big obstacle remaining.

However, Arsenal know they may well need one more and have reportedly seen an opening offer for Scamacca fall short.

And, according to Il Mattino, that also appears to be the case with Osimhen.

Gunners transfer offer falls well short

The Nigerian striker is valued in the £85m (€100m) bracket by Napoli. Osimhen contributed to 24 goals in 32 games for Gli Azzurri during the 2021/22 campaign.

But according to the Italian paper, Edu’s opening offer was some distance short of that at £51.5m (€60m). And with the Gunners a whopping £34.5m short of Napoli’s valuation, it’s little surprise to see their opening bid given short shrift by Napoli.

The report states there may be some room for negotiation at the Napoli end. However, they are adamant that, as things stand, the striker will not be allowed to depart for such a fee.

Furthermore, Newcastle are also in the hunt to sign Osimhen and are reportedly keeping a close watch on the situation.

And Napoli seemingly believe interest from the Magpies will ensure his sale is close to his peak value.

Napoli right to play hardball with Victor Osimhen

With Erling Haaland and Darwin Nunez on the move, the Premier League looks like a playground for many of the world’s top strikers again.

And with the Nunez fee potentially costing Liverpool around £85m, Napoli now have a yardstick by which to measure their Osimhen valuation by.

Whether quite in the same elite status as Nunez remains to be seen. However, Osimhen, 23, is of a similar age to 22-year-old Nunez, with both enjoying excellent seasons on a personal level.

And if Arsenal are serious about recruiting the striker, they will surely have to up their bid to tempt Napoli to sell.

From the Italians’ point of view, there is certainly no need to accept the first offer that comes their way.

Indeed, their president Aurelio De Laurentiis is known as a tough negotiator when it comes to the transfer market. Like an Italian Daniel Levy, he will fight tooth and nail to ensure his club maximise their profit.

Victor Osimhen staying at Napoli despite Premier League interest

Victor Osimhen staying at Napoli despite Premier League interest

Victor Osimhen unlikely to leave Napoli this summer as Manchester United and Arsenal look for new striker

Furthermore, he won’t do business if he feels the offer falls short of their asking price for Victor Osimhen.

The Gunners, meanwhile, have also been given a very rapid response to claims they also want to sign Raphinha from Leeds United.