Arsenal and Man Utd target surprise striker who is BETTER than Osimhen

Tom Weber

Updated: 18 Feb 2025 13:50 GMT
4 min read

Arsenal and Manchester United have begun keeping tabs on Fenerbahce striker Youssef En-Nesyri, according to Turkish media.

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The Morocco international has been in red-hot form in 2025 so far, netting nine league goals and 14 across all competitions since the turn of the year. All told, En-Nesyri's tally for the season stands at 23 goals and four assists in 35 appearances.

On Sunday, the 27-year-old notched another brace - his sixth since mid-December - for Fenerbahce as they beat Kasimpasa 3-1 to keep pace with Galatasaray at the top of the standings, with their hated rivals also winning thanks to a two-goal haul from their star striker Victor Osimhen.

However, according to Turkish pundit and former referee Ahmet Cakar, En-Nesyri is actually better than the Nigerian sensation on current form. "It is certain that En-Nesyri is the best striker in the league at the moment. When he catches fire and scores, he makes a great contribution to his team," the 62-year-old declared after the Kasimpasa clash.

Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho similarly hailed the impact of the Moroccan: "Myself and our sporting director were criticised, the club was criticised for paying too much money. There was even talk of selling him to Saudi Arabia right away in January.

"We are seeing what kind of player he is now. Also, the team is playing very well, which affects him. He has 15 goals in the league without a penalty. He also has goals in Europe and in the cup. He is doing very well at the moment," Mourinho said.

Arsenal, Man Utd keeping tabs

En-Nesyri's spectacular form hasn't gone unnoticed elsewhere, with Takvim now claiming that both Arsenal and Man Utd have been keeping tabs on the striker.

Both are known to be in the market for a No.9 and Man Utd, in particular, have been heavily linked with the aforementioned Osimhen, while Arsenal are more keen on Benjamin Sesko and Alexander Isak.

With Man Utd mired in financial troubles and likely to miss out on Champions League qualification, En-Nesyri could represent a cheaper option compared to Osimhen and the Red Devils' other top target Viktor Gyokeres.

The Turkish outlet reports that Fenerbahce rejected a €35 million bid from Saudi Arabia in January, so En-Nesyri will still cost a sizeable amount. The Istanbul giants spent €19.5m to poach him from Sevilla last summer.