Premier League trio Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United will be told to pay £100 million for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen in the summer transfer window, as reported by Corriere dello Sport.
Remember when Sir Alex Ferguson claimed that doing business with Daniel Levy was more painful than his hip replacement? So, in comparison, striking a deal with Aurelio de Laurentiis must feel like tearing out your own front teeth with a pair of rusty tweezers.
The Napoli owner is certainly no pushover. Far from it.
Two years ago, when some of Europe’s biggest clubs came calling for Kalidou Koulibaly, De Laurentiis made it clear that the star centre-back would not be going anywhere for less than £90 million.
And anyone planning an approach for Osimhen will be met with a similarly bullish response from one of the most hard-nosed presidents in European football.
Napoli’s £100m man
According to Corriere dello Sport, via Football Italia, Napoli have added a further £20 million to the striker’s price-tag in the face of growing interest from English shores.
Former Lille talisman Osimhen, scorer of 15 goals in 25 games this season, will break the £100 million barrier if he leaves the Stadio San Paolo, just two years after becoming the club’s record signing.
According to CBS Sports, Arsenal are scouting their long-term transfer target ‘extensively’. The Gunners are stepping up their pursuit of a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang replacement.
Tottenham are also keen too, via TuttoNapoli, though a £100 million price-tag may be too rich for Levy’s blood.
Whether the same can be said of nouveau-riche Newcastle United, however, is anyone’s guess.
Corriere adds that the Magpies – now the richest footballing club on planet earth – offered around £80 million in January, only to be told in no uncertain terms that a Napoli side pursuing their first Serie A title since the Diego Maradona heydey had no interest in selling their star striker midway through the campaign.
“Osimhen is stronger than (Dusan) Vlahovic,” Serie A legend Alessandro Altobelli said recently, comparing the Napoli ace with a £62 million forward who turned down Arsenal and Tottenham in favour of Juventus.
“When I criticized the Nigerian (earlier in the season), he had only scored 4 goals. Now, Spalletti is working hard on him, forging him into one of the best strikers.
“In this moment he is enjoying great growth. And, for me, he is better than Vlahovic.”
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