Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur target Victor Osimhen has been compared to a striking legend with former Charleroi manager Felice Mazzu telling TuttoNapoli that he ‘looks like Zlatan Ibrahimovic’.
Considering that a prolific Nigerian international has taken comparisons with Didier Drogba in his stride during a stunning debut season in France, Osimhen is unlikely to find himself weighed down by his mentor’s glowing praise.
The Lille number nine hit the back of the net 18 times on the other side of the Channel in 2019/20.
As a result, his price-tag has soared with Les Dogues demanding £90 million, according to Le10 Sport – although that figure might have shrunk somewhat over the last few months.
Liverpool have been linked with a classic centre-forward who could give Jurgen Klopp a viable Plan B, via Sky Sports.
Osimhen’s agent claimed to Cable last week, meanwhile, that Newcastle United and Spurs had been in contact – though a move to North London is unlikely as long as Harry Kane sticks around.
Though whoever wins the race will have a striker who has a lot in common with Ibrahimovic – on the pitch, at least.
“He looks like Ibrahimovic because he can do everything with his feet and his head,” Mazzu says.
“There is a big difference between the two – Victor is a simple person – but he will become a great striker.
“His great talent is his explosiveness, he has incredible physical strength. He knows how to play with his head, he always makes the right choice in front of the goal, he can walk all over the field and score.
“And then he has another great quality: security. He is not afraid of anything.”
It is not just the number of goals Osimhen has scored this season, it is the variety of them which will have scouts everywhere raving about his potential. Standing at 6ft 1ins, he has the leap of a rocket-powered salmon and can finish powerfully off both feet.
Perhaps most scarily of all, this 21-year-old has not even scratched the surface of his potential.
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