‘Osimhen at least as good as Mbappe and worth €300m’

Robin Bairner

• 8 Feb 2023 14:32 GMT
• 3 min read

Manchester United and Chelsea have been told in no uncertain terms just how good Napoli striker Victor Osimhen is.

The Red Devils are on the lookout for a new full-time No.9, with the club having released Cristiano Ronaldo in November and having only replaced him with loan signing Wout Weghorst from Burnley.

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A number of options have been proposed to be on Man Utd’s summer shortlist for the position, including Tottenham forward Harry Kane and Roma striker Tammy Abraham, yet Osimhen is among the more realistic targets mentioned.

Similarly, Chelsea may have spent lavishly in the last two windows, but they have not signed a No.9 and the centre-forward position is one that they have been notably lacking in since the start of the season, with Kai Havertz still struggling to produce the good.

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Osimhen impressing at Napoli

The Nigeria international has scored 16 goals in 17 Serie A appearances this season and has four assists to boot. His record over his time in Napoli is formidable, with 40 goals in 68 outings, coming after a €70 million move from Lille, where he scored 18 times in 38 games for the Ligue 1 side.

His talents certainly have those in Italy convinced, with journalist Paolo de Paola telling Radio Punto Novo: “Osimhen is worth at least €300m! I don’t see any huge difference between him and Kylian Mbappe, on the contract, Osimhen places himself more at the disposal of the team and his team-mates.

This was echoed by fellow journalist Bruno Gentili, who said of the 24-year-old: “Watch out for Manchester United for the Victor, may the assault never come. For me, the Nigeria international is worth €200m.”

Napoli, meanwhile, have moved to issue a stern hands-off warning for Man Utd over their star man.

“Victor is not up for sale. Our players are in high demand, but we are forced to sell nobody, we don’t have debts,” president Aurelio De Laurentiis told Bild.

Napoli are running away with the Serie A title this season, 13 points clear of second-placed Inter, while they are in the last 16 of the Champions League, in which they will face Eintracht Frankfurt.