Man Utd lead Chelsea in race to sign coveted Serie A star as record-breaking summer transfer beckons

Manchester United are the best-placed club to sign Victor Osimhen from Napoli despite interest from big spenders Chelsea, according to reports.

Osimhen’s incredible record in Serie A this season means it is no surprise England’s top clubs are aiming to land him. So far the striker has managed 16 goals in 17 league appearances, helping Napoli extend a 13-point lead at the top of the Serie A table.

Osimhen has also played three times in the Champions League. However, he could only find the back of the net once, with that goal coming in a 4-2 victory over Ajax on 12 October last year.

Osimhen will be hoping to make a big impact in the Champions League knockout stages after missing several of Napoli’s group matches due to injury. He will probably lead the line when the Italian outfit come up against Eintracht Frankfurt in the round of 16.

Napoli are expected to sell the 24-year-old for big money once the transfer window reopens this summer. Clearly, his brilliant scoring record means they would ideally like to keep him.

But with the huge sums of money being talked about, it makes sense for Luciano Spalletti’s team to cash in. Interested clubs were recently told it would take a whopping €200million (£178m) to prize Osimhen away from the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

Should Man Utd spend this much, then it would shatter two transfer records. Firstly, it would break the record for their most expensive signing, which currently stands at £89m.

Secondly, the Red Devils would smash Chelsea’s Premier League record capture. That is the £107m the Blues spent in January to land Enzo Fernandez from Benfica.

Chelsea to rival Man Utd for ruthless goalscorer

Unfortunately for Man Utd, they are far from being the only team who hope to sign Osimhen. On Thursday, it emerged that Chelsea have made the Nigerian their top striker target for the summer.

And chairman Todd Boehly is happy to break his own transfer record by spending over £107m on the coveted Serie A star.

There has now been an update on the situation from Italian outlet CalcioNapoli24. They reiterate the fact that Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis does not have to sell as the club has no financial problems.

As such, they can demand an eye-watering €150m (£132.5m) for their talisman this summer. This will come as a boost to Man Utd and Chelsea, who will not have to match that £178m price tag which has previously been talked up.

The report adds that it is Man Utd who are leading the race for Osimhen right now. Although, there is no mention of why this may be the case.

Man Utd progress may help in transfer pursuit

One possible explanation is the different fortunes befalling Man Utd and Chelsea this term. Erik ten Hag has got the Red Devils flying. They are just about involved in the Premier League title race and remain in three cup competitions, too. Arguably their best shot at silverware is the Carabao Cup final with Newcastle.

Chelsea, in contrast, are languishing in ninth place in the league. Their January signings should help them to improve on that position. Having said that, it would take an incredible run to catch up with Man Utd.

Plus, Graham Potter’s side are out of the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. They were knocked out of both competitions by Manchester City. They remain hopeful of going far in the Champions League, but winning it is surely out of their reach.

Man Utd’s progress under Ten Hag will probably convince Osimhen to go to Old Trafford, rather than Stamford Bridge.

Potter has the potential to turn things around at Chelsea and get them fighting among the best sides again. But that will surely come too late for Chelsea to win the race for Osimhen.

Meanwhile, Man Utd could land Osimhen’s new strike partner for a ludicrously low fee.