Arsenal have joined the race to sign one of Serie A’s best strikers, according to Corriere dello Sport.
The Gunners recently announced the arrival of defender Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna and they are now focused on signing Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad.
A marquee centre-forward could also be pursued and Corriere (page 10) claim that the club have decided to ‘break in’ and join the race for Napoli’s Victor Osimhen.
Paris Saint-Germain have been locked in negotiations with Napoli for weeks, but their £76 million offer has been turned down by the 2022/23 Serie A champions.
Chelsea have been trying to negotiate a part-exchange deal involving Romelu Lukaku, but it is reported that the 25-year-old is not interested in joining the Blues.
Corriere mention that Arsenal, who are long-term admirers, are better placed to land his signature.
Arsenal should avoid paying over the odds for Osimhen
Osimhen has developed into one of the most wanted strikers in world football, but clubs seem reluctant to spend big on him, considering his injury record over the years.
The Nigerian star missed 15 games for club and country last term with multiple injuries. Overall, he has been sidelined for 67 matches since joining Napoli from Lille in 2020.
This is a warning sign for interested teams. Arsenal have had a tough time with Gabriel Jesus’ fitness record and they should be wary of making a huge outlay on Osimhen.
Napoli are eyeing more than £84m and club president Aurelio De Laurentiis would prefer a fee closer to £110m release clause which was inserted into Osimhen’s contract last year.
In our view, Arsenal should not look to pay over the odds for Osimhen, who was described as ‘world-class‘ by Jose Mourinho when he was Roma’s manager in December 2023.
Osimhen scored 17 goals for Napoli last term, but the Gunners need a more reliable marksman up front to challenge for the league title. Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres would be a better fit.
The Swede netted an outstanding 43 goals for Sporting Lisbon in his debut season. He has a tremendous fitness record and has never missed a club game in his career through injury.
Gyokeres is also much better with the ball at his feet and can create chances too. He registered 15 assists in all competitions at club level last season compared to Osimhen’s four.
