CHELSEA and Arsenal have not been ruled out of the race to sign Super Eagles of Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen from Napoli, according to reports.
The 25-year-old Osimhen, who has revealed a preference for the English Premier League, recently signed a contract extension until June 2026 with Napoli, but the Serie A champions are prepared to let him go, especially with a release clause of around €130m in his new deal.
Chelsea, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain are among the clubs linked with securing Osimhen’s services this summer, and journalist Ben Jacobs has claimed the Nigeria international is considering the English clubs.
“We still can’t rule out Arsenal in the race for Osimhen. It’s also true that PSG have Osimhen very, very high on their list of targets and can move in the market because they will free up money due to Kylian Mbappe’s departure,” Jacobs told Givemesport as reported by Football Italia today.
“I’m still told by sources that Osimhen’s priority is the Premier League, which is encouraging for Chelsea and Arsenal. He would be looking for about £250,000 per week, which Arsenal, Chelsea and PSG would all be happy to pay.”
Osimhen, who was Serie A top scorer with 26 goals last season as Napoli won their first Scudetto in 33 years, has scored twice in two matches under new head coach Francesco Calzona since returning from AFCON 2023, where he helped the Super Eagles finish as runners-up.
He scored against Barcelona in the Champions League last midweek and netted against Cagliari in Serie A on Saturday, with both games ending 1-1.
Osimhen joined Napoli in September 2020 from Lille for around €80m and has scored 69 goals in 121 matches with the Italian club.
