09 June 2023 , 22:39
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Paris Saint-Germain will rival Manchester United in the race to sign Napoli striker Victor Osimhen this summer as they plan a new attacking partner for Kylian Mbappe.
United’s prime target is Napoli striker Osimhen and he heads the club’s striking shortlist. Red Devils scouts attended Napoli’s Champions League clash against Milan in April and have been planning a move for the Nigerian since last summer.
Osimhen spoke in March that it would be his “dream” to play in the Premier League as links with him moving to Old Trafford intensified. United have subsequently sent scouts to monitor the striker’s play. He spearheaded Napoli’s remarkable Serie A title, netting 31 goals across all competitions.
Yet any deal for the Nigeria international will come at a premium transfer cost, potentially upwards of £130million. Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis is a notoriously tough negotiator and is under no financial pressure to cash-in on their most prized asset.
PSG may be able to fund a blockbuster this summer. The exits of Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos have helped significantly ease their wage bill. This has been somewhat offset by the arrivals of Manuel Ugarte, Marco Asensio and Milan Skriniar – but further player exits are expected.
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One such departure could be superstar forward Neymar, while striker Hugo Ekitike’s loan spell has concluded. The French champions need attacking reinforcements and Le Parisien report that they could structure a move for Osimhen.
Osimhen has bagged 31 goals across all competitions for Napoli this season (Getty Images)Have Your Say! Which striker should Man Utd sign this summer ? Tell us what you think here.
Mbappe has primarily played centrally in PSG’s attack but would be more comfortable operating off a central striker, as he does for France with Olivier Giroud. This could be played out at club level with Osimhen – but he has previously indicated a preference for moving to England.
The striker said: "I think playing in one of the top five leagues in the world is an amazing feeling for me. A lot of people worldwide consider the Premier League as the best and the strongest league but now I'm in one of the best leagues in the world which is the Italian Serie A.
"I'm working so hard to make sure that I achieve my dream of playing in the Premier League someday but as I said, it's a process and I just want to keep on this momentum and continue to do well."
Both PSG and Manchester United are set for busy summer transfer windows and any move for Osimhen may prove to be a protracted one that could take several weeks.