No Osimhen to Man Utd as part of Ronaldo Napoli transfer
FT Desk
- 27 Aug 2022 15:55 BST
- 3 min read
Cristiano Ronaldo is looking for a way out at Manchester United, with Napoli a possible destination, but Victor Osimhen is unlikely to be part of any negotiations.
Ronaldo has been benched for United's last two games - victories over Liverpool and Southampton - whilst his agent Jorge Mendes has been busy trying to negotiate his path out of Old Trafford.
Ronaldo wants to extend his record 140 goals in the Champions League, and Napoli and Atletico Madrid have emerged as the teams most likely to give him the platform to do so this season.
Ronaldo scored a team-high 18 goals in the Premier League last season despite United's sixth-place finish, and plugging their gap in attack could help either potential suitor get a deal over the line.
Nessuna trattativa in corso, nessuno scambio.
Victor Osimhen è un giocatore del Napoli e vuole giocare la Champions col suo Napoli dopo averla conquistata sul campo con orgoglio insieme a mister e compagni. @victorosimhen9 #teamRC— Roberto Calenda (@RobertoCalenda) August 26, 2022
Alvaro Morata and Osimhen have been floated as makeweights, but unfortunately for United, Morata has been scoring for fun for Atletico while Osimhen seems to have no intention of leaving Napoli.
"I spoke to the president, he is the one who decides, and he reassured me by explaining the club's plans," Osimhen said on Friday. "I'm happy with what he told me."
Agent: 'no swaps'
And now Osimhen's agent has underlined the Nigerian's desire to stay at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
"No negotiations in progress, no swaps," Roberto Calenda posted on Twitter. "Victor Osimhen is a Napoli player and wants to play the Champions League with Napoli after winning it on the pitch with pride together with the coach and his teammates."
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Osimhen scored 14 goals in 27 Serie A games last season as Napoli finished third to punch their ticket into this season's Champions League group stage, and he already has two goals from two games this term.
The transfer window slams shut on Thursday, and Ronaldo is running out of options, especially if his potential replacements aren't interested in filling his boots at Old Trafford.
