PSG leave path clear for Arsenal to sign Osimhen

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 4 Jun 2024 12:05 BST
• 4 min read

Arsenal’s chances of signing Victor Osimhen this summer have increased after PSG pulled out of the race to sign the Napoli striker.

According to L’Equipe, PSG have dropped their interest in the Napoli star and will not be signing him this summer.

PSG had for the last few months been considered the favourites for the Nigerian, but L’Equipe report that concrete discussions never really got off the ground.

READ MORE: Osimhen ‘waits’ on Arsenal transfer in ‘monstrous’ deal that Chelsea will love

And now, Luis Enrique has made it clear that he plans to trust Randal Kolo Muani and Gonçalo Ramos again next season in the number nine role.

Any replacement for Kylian Mbappe - who joined Real Madrid officially on a free transfer on Monday - will be in the wide forward role rather than the middle.

Arsenal have been increasingly linked with Osimhen in recent days, with the Gunners in the market for a top striker this summer.

READ MORE: Premier League summer transfers 2024: All the Done Deals

But with PSG now pulling out of the race, the chances of Osimhen becoming an Arsenal player have now increased.

Osimhen’s Arsenal chances

FootballTransfers understands that RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko is still Arsenal’s priority signing in the No.9 role.

FootballTransfers reported exclusively on Saturday that the Gunners have opened the bidding for the forward, who would arrive at around half the price of Osimhen.

Osimhen has a triple-figure release clause in his Napoli contract, and president Aurelio De Laurentiis is asking for €120 million to sell the striker.

This is proving a stumbling block for the clubs who are interested in Osimhen, including Arsenal and Chelsea.

Osimhen has decided to leave Napoli this summer, and the Italian club have also agreed to sell to fund incoming manager Antonio Conte’s transfer campaign.

The 25-year-old saw his relationship with Napoli sour this last season, following the TikTok scandal in which the club’s own social media team mocked his penalty miss with Bologna.

Osimhen had a largely difficult season on the pitch, while Napoli endured a disastrous defence of the Scudetto they won in the 2022-23 season as they finished 10th in Serie A.

The Nigerian had been a key player in the Scudetto campaign, scoring 26 league goals in 32 games.