Arsenal are gearing up for a massive summer of transfer incomings – and one of their major new targets in Victor Osimhen has made clear his wish to play in the Premier League.
The Gunners sit atop the Premier League and getting ever closer to ending their 19-year wait for the title. However, with Manchester City breathing down their necks, they can ill afford any slip-ups with Pep Guardiola’s side past masters at crossing the line in first place.
But with 12 games to go, Arsenal have a tidy five-point buffer over City and with a growing belief this can be their year.
Their push for glory will also comfortably see Arsenal achieve their first objective for this season: qualifying for the Champions League.
Their last match in the competition came in the spring of 2017 when they were humbled 10-2 on aggregate by Bayern Munich. You can see where Arsenal’s team from that day are now in this feature.
However, with a 21-point buffer to Liverpool in fifth, Arsenal will soon hope to celebrate a return to the competition.
And once that is secure, then planning for the summer window can step up a further pace.
To that end, Arsenal remain in the hunt to strengthen their forward line. Reports last week claimed Arsenal could move for both Nico Williams of Athletic Bilbao and Inter’s Lautaro Martinez.
However, it seems Arsenal have even bigger plans with Napoli hotshot Osimhen also on their radar.
Osimhen is quite possibly world football’s most in-demand striker right now. Having blasted in 21 goals in 26 matches, Napoli are in touching distance of Serie A glory.
And while Manchester United are being linked, an Italian journalist claims Arsenal lead the race.
Osimhen fuels Arsenal transfer rumours
The Gunners, for their part, will need to spend a fee well in excess of £100m if they are to land Osimhen.
And with competition for his services tough, it remains to be seen if Arsenal can and will win that chase.
However, Osimhen has fueled suggestions he is England-bound by revealing ambitions of playing in the Premier League.
“I think playing in one of the top five leagues in the world is an amazing feeling for me,” he said.
“A lot of people worldwide consider the Premier League as the best and the strongest league. But now I’m in one of the best leagues in the world which is the Italian Serie A.
“I’m working so hard to make sure that I achieve my dream of playing in the Premier League some day. But, like I said, it’s a process and I just want to keep on this momentum and continue to do well.”
While both Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah have performed well in attack for Arsenal this season, neither has been entirely prolific. And there is little doubting that Osimhen would provide the X-factor up front and strike fear into opposing defences.
With 87 career goals from 178 games, the 24-year-old certainly knows his way to goal and would prove a hugely-ambitious signing for Arsenal.
Moises Caicedo to Arsenal claims gather pace
The Gunners, though, do want to spend big this summer. And it seems owner Stan Kroenke has cleared the path for a major summer spend.
Among Mikel Arteta’s targets remains a new midfielder with Declan Rice reportedly among those they remain keen on.
But any deal for the West Ham star will also come at a premium price. To that end, Hammers boss David Moyes suggests any deal will cost in excess of the £105.7m record fee Chelsea paid Benfica for Enzo Fernandez.
A slightly cheaper option for Arsenal may well prove to be Moises Caicedo.
The Brighton star was the subject of two failed bids from Arsenal in the January window. And while their second offer topped £70m, the Seagulls stood firm and resisted all Arsenal threw at them.
However, Football Insider claims Caicedo still wants to make the move to Emirates Stadium. And despite the player since signing a new deal, a move to Emirates Stadium could still be on this summer.
Indeed, with Caicedo saying yes to the move, Arsenal are reportedly considering a fresh bid to land the Ecuadorian.
However, the report warns any summer deal will set the Gunners back an inflated fee of nearer £90m.
Nonetheless, Arteta remains unfazed and will consider meeting the player’s new asking price when the market re-opens.
Caicedo’s new deal ties him to Brighton until summer 2027 with the option of an additional year. However, the 21-year-old knows a move to the capital will see his salary rise again. His latest pay-rise sees the midfielder take home wages of £60,000 a week.
