Arsenal willing to pay €75m to sign 25yo star, Mourinho said he is ‘world-class’ – Journalist

Arsenal are only willing to pay €75 million (£63m) to sign Napoli striker Victor Osimhen this summer.

The Gunners are on the search for a marquee centre-forward and they have been frequently linked with Osimhen after missing out on Benjamin Sesko.

The Nigerian star currently has a release clause worth €120m (£101m) in his contract, and Napoli are quite clear that they won’t offer a discount on him.

Journalist Valter De Maggio has now revealed that Osimhen has a monstrous offer from Saudi Arabia, but he has no desire to move to the Middle East.

He added that Arsenal are interested in his services, but are unwilling to spend more than €75m.

He said (via CalcioNapoli24): “From what we understand, despite the monstrous offer from the Arab league, Victor does not want to go to Saudi Arabia. And Arsenal in the Premier League don’t value him at €120m, but rather just over half: €75m.”

Arsenal unlikely to overpay for Osimhen

Osimhen has been linked with a Premier League move for a number of years. He appears determined to make the switch in the current transfer window.

Chelsea were initially deemed as contenders for his signature, but they have pulled out of the race after failing to finalise personal terms via his agent.

Hence, Arsenal are front-runners to land his signature among English clubs, but they should not spend over the odds to land the 25-year-old marksman.

Osimhen netted 31 goals in 39 outings for Napoli in 2022/23, but his tally dipped to 17 goals from 32 games last term amid multiple injury concerns.

The striker, who was described as ‘world-class‘ by Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho last season, missed over 10 games with three different injuries.

He was also absent for Nigeria duty this month after suffering a fresh setback at his club.

Osimhen’s injury record is a potential warning sign for the Gunners. Keeping this in mind, they are right with their stance of not paying more than €75m.

Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres is available for a higher fee of €100m (£85m), but he could prove a better acquisition, having never been injured in his career.

The Swede was sensational for Sporting last term with 43 goals in all competitions.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com