Arsenal could rival Chelsea for Victor Osimhen
Arsenal are about to draft up their shortlist of striker targets for the summer transfer window and Chelsea target Victor Osimhen will be on their radar, a report has revealed.
It is no secret that signing a striker is on Arsenal’s agenda for the summer already. Even a scoring spree by either Gabriel Jesus or Eddie Nketiah before then would seem unlikely to change their mind.
After their Premier League title challenge last season and attempt to do something similar this season, Arsenal are looking at the world-class bracket for their next centre-forward.
Osimhen is a player who can certainly be classed at that level after his exploits with Napoli, for whom he scored 26 goals in 32 league games last season as they won Serie A.
According to the Sunday Mirror, Arsenal are considering joining the race for Osimhen, who signed a new contract with Napoli in December with a €130m (£111m) release clause.
Despite the new deal, there is still an expectation that Napoli will sell Osimhen in the summer.
On that front, Chelsea have seemed to be the likeliest buyers, given their need for an upgrade at centre-forward as well. But Arsenal are also being tipped to enter the equation.
The Gunners already expressed their interest when meeting Osimhen’s entourage in 2022 before not proceeding with a move.
Arsenal have Osimhen alternative
Now, they could revisit their interest, although they are keeping their options open by also considering players like Brentford’s Ivan Toney.
Toney is just returning from his lengthy ban for betting offences and has been tipped to follow in Osimhen’s stride by signing a new contract with his current club if only to protect his value before a summer sale.
Even with that in mind, Toney might be slightly cheaper than Osimhen, but Arsenal must remember it is the Nigerian, not the Englishman, who has top-flight title-winning experience and Champions League pedigree.
It will be interesting to see how both players progress before the next transfer window opens, though, as Toney regains his sharpness and Osimhen picks up from where he left off after his involvement at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria are semi-finalists at AFCON and will face South Africa on Wednesday in the semi-final.
Before heading off to the tournament, Osimhen had scored eight goals from 18 games across all competitions for Napoli this season.
Arsenal’s top scorer this season, for comparison, is winger Bukayo Saka with 10 goals from 29 appearances.
