Stunning Liverpool approach for mega-money striker revealed, as reasons move failed come to light

Liverpool explored the signing of Napoli striker Victor Osimhen in the summer transfer window, though why the move crumbled despite a ‘blitz’ from the Reds has been revealed.

Liverpool did bring two major names on board in the summer window, with Giorgi Mamardashvili and Federico Chiesa signing up.

Mamardashvili cost £29.5m/€35m/$38.7m (including add-ons) to sign and is viewed as the long-term successor to Alisson Becker.

Mamardashvili has been loaned back to Valencia for the 2024/25 season. He’ll link up with his new Reds teammates in the summer of 2025, at which point Liverpool will have an almighty decision to make between Mamardashvili and Alisson Becker.

Alisson is under contract with Liverpool until 2027 and remains arguably the greatest goalkeeper playing the game right now.

As such, one way Liverpool could solve the problem is loaning Mamardashvili out for a second time to cover the 2025/26 campaign.

The idea there would be for Liverpool to sell Alisson in 2026 (with one year left on his deal). Alisson would be 33 at the time and won’t remain world class forever.

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Elsewhere, Chiesa arrived in a low risk/high reward affair from Juventus after costing a package worth just £12.5m/€14.8m/$16.4m to sign.

However, Liverpool’s window may yet be remembered for the deals they did not make.

New contracts are still to be ironed out for Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.

The trio are all in the final year of their respective deals and Salah revealed on Sunday that the club are yet to open talks over an extension. That’s despite the Egyptian’s stance as of writing being he wants to extend his stay at Anfield.

Sticking strictly to transfers, Liverpool tried and failed to sign Real Sociedad’s midfield maestro, Martin Zubimendi.

The classy Spaniard was identified as the perfect No 6 and made a verbal promise he’d join Liverpool to sporting director Richard Hughes.

However, Real Sociedad successfully convinced Zubimendi to stay and rather than sign the next best option, Liverpool chose to stick with what they have.

According to a fresh update from Corriere dello Sport, Liverpool also explored the signing of Napoli striker, Victor Osimhen.

Liverpool made transfer ‘blitz’ for Victor Osimhen

Osimhen was part of a remarkable tug-of-war between Chelsea and Saudi Arabian side Al Ahli in the final days of the window.

But per the report, Liverpool too ‘tried a blitz’ for the 25-year-old frontman, though at what stage in the summer window was not made clear.

However, a move obviously did not come to pass, with the report strongly suggesting the finances involved did not make sense for Liverpool.

Osimhen and his camp were insistent any exit from Napoli be a permanent one. That meant only an outright transfer or a loan containing an obligation to buy and not merely an option to buy were viable.

Furthermore, Osimhen was refusing to take a pay cut to facilitate the move. The Nigerian is understood to earn around €11m per season in Naples which equates to a weekly wage of roughly £178,000/€211,000/$234,000.

Chelsea were willing to buy Osimhen on loan with an obligation to buy attached. But per CDS, Osimhen’s refusal to accept a pay cut scuppered their chances.

That was in stark contrast to the likes of Jadon Sancho and Joao Felix who both reduced their salaries to ease their moves to Stamford Bridge over the line.

Liverpool similarly took a dim view of the finances involved and quickly aborted what would have been a surprising switch to Anfield.

Indeed, the Reds don’t lack for viable options in the centre-forward position, with Diogo Jota backed up by Darwin Nunez. Cody Gakpo also regularly played at No 9 under former boss Jurgen Klopp.

Instead, Liverpool went on to add a more versatile forward to their ranks in the form of Chiesa.

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What now for Napoli outcast Osimhen?

For Osimhen, the route to Saudi Arabia also closed after prime suitor Al Ahli signed Ivan Toney instead. Al Ahli only had one spot open to international stars and ultimately went with Toney to the tune of £40m/€47.5m/$52.5m.

Al Ahli had seen a giant €80m bid (including add-ons) for Osimhen accepted by Napoli. They were also prepared to pay Osimhen a mammoth net annual salary of €30m as part of a four-year contract. That equates to a weekly wage after tax of £486,000/€577,000/$639,000.

But with the transfer ultimately shelved, the end result is Osimhen is now stranded at Napoli where he has not been included in the club’s 25-man squad for the 2024/25 season in Serie A.

In a further indication he has no future at the club, his No 9 shirt has been handed to new signing Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian scored on his debut on Saturday in the last-gasp 2-1 comeback victory over Parma.

Unless Osimhen secures a surprise switch to a country whose transfer window remains open, Osimhen will be out in the cold in Naples until the January window at the earliest.

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