Victor Osimhen can only be afforded this summer by Paris Saint-Germain, according to Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis.
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Manchester United and Chelsea, who had the Napoli star on their wishlist of top targets, will take this as a blow.
Both Premier League clubs are keen to sign a goal scorer for next season’s starting lineup.
And Victor Osimhen, who had an exceptional Serie A season, is one of the few better options in Europe.
De Laurentiis, though, seems to have effectively shut the door in United’s and Chelsea’s faces.
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“The only club that could afford Victor Osimhen is Paris Saint-Germain,” De Laurentiis told Mediaset.
“If Nasser Al Khelaifi [PSG president] wants to send in a bid around €200m (£170m)… we wait and we see what happens.
“I personally think that Victor will stay here.”
Mason Mount’s £55 million signing has placed some restrictions on United’s spending, and Andre Onana is almost ready to sign a £50 million deal.
In contrast, PSG may need to use some of their enormous resources to get additional forwards after losing Lionel Messi, and Kylian Mbappe and Neymar may also depart before the summer is out.
Additionally, Osimhen ticks all the boxes for prospective clubs in terms of strikers.
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Last season, the Nigerian international was in lethal form, scoring 31 goals across all competitions to lead Napoli to the Serie A title and their place in the Champions League quarterfinals.
At just 24 years old, Osimhen still has lots of time to develop into a complete striker.
The former Lille player was spotted wearing Napoli’s new jersey ahead of the upcoming season, thus the likelihood of a transfer remains very little.
The Italian team is eager to retain the Scudetto next season, but most clubs across the world will turn him down because to his high fee.
Manchester United and Chelsea are looking at other targets besides players who would like to play in the Premier League.
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After the arrival of Onana, the Red Devils are expected to step up their efforts to sign Atalanta star Rasmus Hojlund.
Chelsea have already brought in Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson to strengthen their frontline.
However, a shocking link that has emerged in recent weeks is that of wantaway striker Folarin Balogun at Arsenal, with Paulo Dybala also apparently being considered.
