Man United could ‘silently’ seal the deal with ‘phenomenal’ £85m star

Victor Osimhen of Nigeria and Napoli could be acquired by Manchester United in the upcoming summer.

Carlo Garganese, a journalist, claims that Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United squad is looking for an additional forward and that it is not possible to rule out the possibility that they would be able to bring Nigerian and Napoli striker Victor Osimhen to Old Trafford in the summer of 2019.

Due to the fact that Nigeria did not manage to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, the 23-year-old player is currently getting some relaxation in preparation for the second half of the season.

Manchester United is currently looking for potential long-term replacements for Cristiano Ronaldo, whose contract was terminated earlier this week. The Express reported back in August that Manchester United could be required to pay up to £85 million in order to secure the services of Osimhen during the following summer.

According to Transfermarkt, the forward has produced for the Serie A club, scoring 38 goals and producing 12 assists in 76 appearances for the side since he was signed by Napoli from Lille in the summer of 2020. Napoli paid almost £83 million for the striker’s services when they signed him from Lille back in the summer of 2020.

Ten Hag will be hopeful that the United leadership are willing to pay out on a striker for the Old Trafford side during the upcoming summer transfer window. The club presently only have Anthony Martial, who is capable of playing in the center-forward spot on a consistent basis.

And Garganese can see the United making a big money move for Osimhen, who has previously been described as “phenomenal” by Walter Mazzari, but he rules out the idea of a deal occurring in January. However, Garganese does not rule out the prospect of a trade occurring in the summer.

What has Garganese said about Osimhen?

Garganese shared the following information with GIVEMESPORT: “He [Osimhen] was undoubtedly on their shortlist again heading into the summer, but Napoli made it quite obvious right away that they weren’t interested in selling him.”

They had a significant amount of player turnover throughout the summer at Napoli, but overall, the season was a huge success for the team. And because of this, they were interested in having him participate in the next endeavor.

“So, January is out of the question, out of the question, out of the question, but I wouldn’t rule out the possibility for next summer.

“Because Aurelio De Laurentiis has proven time and again that he is the undisputed expert, I wouldn’t completely discount the possibility.

“The President of Napoli is the absolute genius when it comes to selling one of his great stars for a tremendous, huge amount of money and then somehow finding successors that are not even that well known and they go on to blossom into the major stars themselves,”

Would Osimhen be a good signing for Manchester United?

If Manchester United were to be successful in their pursuit to sign Osimhen, they would be adding a goalscorer to their roster who has demonstrated that he can be productive on a consistent basis in the most competitive leagues in Europe.

According to Transfermarkt, the Nigerian player, who has 23 caps for his country, is having a sensational season, as he has racked up ten goals and three assists in 14 matches played so far this year.

And an average SofaScore rating of 7.16 for the current Serie A season indicates how important he is to the club based in Naples, suggesting that Luciano Spalletti’s side wouldn’t be prepared to let him leave on the cheap in the summer, with the striker having over two years remaining on his current contract at the time that this article is being written.

While Manchester United has a wealth of attacking alternatives available to them in the forward positions, the club lacks a true center striker. Acquiring Osimhen through a transfer may be the perfect addition to their roster for the 2023/24 season.