- The Serie A side Napoli is demanding £85m transfer fee to let the Nigerian star leave this summer
- Arsenal have also shown an interest in the Napoli star to solve their lack of forwards issue
Newcastle have joined Premier League rivals Manchester United in the race to sign Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.
The 23-year-old has netted 17 goals and registered six assists in 30 appearances across all competitions for the Serie A side, which has caught the eye of a number of clubs across Europe.
United are keen to bolster their attack to replace out of contract duo Edinson Cavani and Jesse Lingard while the Magpies are determined to add to their ranks in order to improve their league position next season.
Manchester United and Newcastle are set to battle it out for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen
The 23-year-old Nigerian has netted 17 goals and registered six assists so far this season
Napoli could be looking for an offer to break the £85million threshold before considering accepting a deal, according to Calciomercato.
The report suggests the Nigerian international is keen to play in the Premier League, after going from the Bundesliga to Belgium and then Ligue 1 before signing for Napoli for £67m in 2020.
The Newcastle takeover earlier this season means they could afford to fork out that sort of transfer fee and the wages that Osimhen will demand although they are unable to offer him European football.
Boss Eddie Howe will be targeting a forward as a priority with his top goalscorer being Callum Wilson with just six goals in the Premier League.
They did splash out £25m on Chris Wood from Burnley in January, but will now be setting their sights on biggest targets to fulfill their ambitions of competing at the top end of the league table.
United can also only offer the lure of Europa League football next season after a miserable campaign has seen them miss out of the Premier League’s top four.
Arsenal have also previously shown interest in Osimhen and could perhaps tempt him to north London over United and Newcastle if they can ensure Champions League football next season.
The Gunners are desperately targeting a number of forwards to fill the void left by the departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and out of contract strikers Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah – who both look set to depart this summer.
First published in Daily Mail (UK)
