Victor Osimhen transfer update: Romano sends message amid Arsenal hijack rumours

Robin Bairner

• 16 Mar 2024 08:49 GMT
• 4 min read

Victor Osimhen will be one of the hot topics of the summer transfer window, with Fabrizio Romano outlining just how the future of the Napoli forward is shaping up.

Chelsea were thought to be leading the race for the 25-year-old before reports broke last week that both Arsenal and PSG were in front of the Stamford Bridge side.

Romano has outlined exactly what the situation is with regards Osimhen, who has 13 goals across all competitions for Napoli this season.

READ MORE: Chelsea THREATENED! What Blues can offer Osimhen that Arsenal and PSG can’t

“There's nothing new on Victor Osimhen so far despite reports that Arsenal are ahead of Chelsea in the race to sign him,” Romano claims on the Daily Briefing.

“There is no ‘moving ahead’ because it's not a proper race. There's no negotiation with Napoli as there's a release clause, so it's about paying that money and reaching an agreement with Osimhen. At the moment no club is close to that.

READ MORE: Chelsea to lose out on €70m deal to London rivals Tottenham

“Interest from various clubs has been there for months, but at the moment we're not any further along in the story.”

FootballTransfers has revealed that Viktor Gyokeres of Sporting CP is their main target this summer.

Osimhen out but Kvaratskhelia to stay

While Napoli are poised to lose Osimhen, Romano claims that they are close to tying down Georgia international winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

“He's doing very well in recent weeks after a difficult first part of the season, and he said in an interview this week in a very clear way that he isn't discussing anything with Napoli - so the point is very clear,” he said.

“Napoli’s expectation is for Victor Osimhen to leave the club in the summer and for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to extend his contract. The Italian team wants to get the new deal done as soon as possible, with the player’s agent saying everything will be clear by the end of May.

READ MORE: Latest Chelsea transfer rumours

“It’s crucial for the Partnopei to close this new deal quickly, otherwise there could be a dangerous situation that develops in the summer.

“That’s because there is interest from many clubs - Barcelona, clubs in England and others - but nothing is concrete at the moment.”

So it seems that while Napoli will lose Osimhen, they will at least retain one star.