Osimhen to Arsenal: Fabrizio Romano issues SURPRISING update

Robin Bairner

Updated: 19 Apr 2024 10:20 BST
4 min read

Victor Osimhen, Arsenal, Fabrizio Romano — © IMAGO

Fabrizio Romano has issued a surprising update on Arsenal’s interest in Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.

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FootballTransfers revealed that the Gunners had given up on Osimhen long ago in order to chase more affordable targets. Chelsea, meanwhile, seemed to have moved ahead in the transfer race.

New interest has risen from PSG as they seek a replacement for Kylian Mbappe, but there had been little recent indication that Arsenal were ready to threaten for the 25-year-old, who will cost around €120-130 million via his release clause.

Romano claims that the Gunners should not be ruled out of the chase yet.

“I’ve had some fans asking me about reports in Italy suggesting that Arsenal have cooled their interest in Victor Osimhen because he could be too expensive, or that they are concerned about entering into difficult and lengthy negotiations with Napoli,” he writes on the Daily Briefing.

“Osimhen has always been appreciated, but many clubs are cautious now waiting to understand the salary/commission package, as there’s already a very expensive release clause to take into consideration. This is why Arsenal are looking at other strikers, including Viktor Gyokeres who remains on their shortlist.”

© IMAGO - Romano says Osimhen to Arsenal is not over

© IMAGO - Osimhen is being watched by Chelsea and PSG

What's really happening at Arsenal?

FootballTransfers’ information is that Osimhen to Arsenal is simply not a topic presently, with the Gunners deciding after the Nigeria international signed his new Napoli contract in December that he is too expensive. Instead, Mikel Arteta has set his stall out to sign Gyokeres from Sporting CP.

The Portuguese side are still holding out for the Sweden striker’s release clause of €100m, yet the entire package for the former Coventry star is set to be far smaller than the one it would take just to trigger Osimhen’s release clause. With Gyokeres eager to move to Arsenal, a deal looks very possible at this stage but is not inevitable.

In any case, the Gunners are second top scorers in the Premier League this season on 75 goals, one behind Manchester City, and have been sufficiently powerful going forward to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League, in which they face Bayern Munich on Wednesday after a 2-2 draw in the first leg.