Victor Osimhen to Arsenal: Fabrizio Romano assesses Edu chances of beating Chelsea to gigantic deal

Fabrizio Romano has provided his information on the future of Victor Osimhen, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain all vying to sign the Napoli striker.

Osimhen announced himself as one of the best centre-forwards in the world last season, notching 31 goals in 39 appearances to help Napoli win their first Scudetto in 33 years while also reaching the Champions League quarter-finals. Osimhen has been affected by injury this campaign and has also missed several club games through representing Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations, though his Napoli record still stands at 13 goals from 24 matches.

In December, the Italian side managed to tie Osimhen down to a new contract, which runs until June 2026 and includes a huge €130million (£111m) release clause.

However, the main reason for that new deal is to protect the 25-year-old’s transfer value, as Napoli know that he will likely move on this summer.

Arsenal and Chelsea are the main Premier League clubs vying to capture Osimhen, as both need a new striker who is guaranteed to hit at least 20-25 goals per season.

But PSG are also in the mix, as they require a top-class new forward who can replace Real Madrid-bound Kylian Mbappe.

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On Thursday, sources confirmed to TEAMtalk that Arsenal and PSG are growing in confidence that they can beat Chelsea to Osimhen’s services.

While the former Lille man idolises Didier Drogba and would love to shine at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea are unsure whether to meet his wage demands, which sit at more than £200k a week.

Fabrizio Romano issues Victor Osimhen update

Arsenal and PSG have followed Chelsea’s lead by opening direct communication with Osimhen’s camp, too.

Responding to this, though, Romano believes the race is still open, in great news for Chelsea supporters.

“There’s nothing new on Victor Osimhen so far despite reports that Arsenal are ahead of Chelsea in the race to sign him,” the journalist said in his latest column for the Daily Briefing.

“There is no ‘moving ahead’ because it’s not a proper race. There’s no negotiation with Napoli as there’s a release clause, so it’s about paying that money and reaching an agreement with Osimhen. At the moment no club is close to that.

“Interest from various clubs has been there for months, but at the moment we’re not any further along in the story.”

Should Osimhen move to the Emirates, then he will break Arsenal’s transfer record. While Osimhen will cost a whopping £111m, Arsenal’s current record signing is £105m midfielder Declan Rice.

Chelsea, meanwhile, paid Brighton an initial £100m for Moises Caicedo. That deal could rise to £115m depending on bonus clauses.

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