Victor Osimhen will continue to reject Saudi Arabian approaches in favour of moving to the Premier League, and Manchester United are preparing a cash-plus-player offer they hope will tempt Napoli, according to a report.
Osimhen, 26, provided a timely reminder of what he’s capable of during a stellar loan spell with Galatasaray this season. The frontman scored 26 goals in 30 Super Lig matches to fire his side to the Turkish title.
The striker’s loan spell is set to conclude, though Galatasaray have put a substantial contract offer to the player and are ready to pay aclub-record fee to sign him outright.
However, Napoli have thus far held out for the €75m Osimhen’s release clause is set at. Saudi side Al-Hilal signalled they were more than prepared to trigger it if able to agree personal terms with Osimhen.
Achieving that feat proved far more difficult than anticipated, with Osimhen rejecting numerous, ever-more lucrative contract offers from Al-Hilal.
A move in time for the Club World Cup will NOT happen, and Al-Hilal have begun to explore alternative options for when the window re-opens on June 16 including Viktor Gyokeres and Darwin Nunez.
Gyokeres is also a wanted man at Old Trafford and the Swede is open to reuniting with former boss, Ruben Amorim, despite United’s lack of Champions League football.
Initial approaches from United have been made via intermediaries, though the latest out of Italy claims Man Utd aren’t putting all their eggs in one basket.
Gazzetta dello Sport state Man Utd are weighing up a move for Osimhen that would include Joshua Zirkzee as a makeweight.
Zirkzee plus cash for Osimhen who wants England
Zirkzee did not enjoy the best of seasons following his £36.5m switch from Bologna. Nevertheless, his stock remains high in Serie A and United would value the Dutchman around the same figure they paid in any cash-plus-player negotiations with Napoli.
The report read: ‘United is evaluating the possibility of making an offer to Napoli, putting Joshua Zirkzee at the centre of the package.’
Napoli struck gold when signing Scott McTominay from United for £25.7m last summer.
The Scotland international proved an instant hit in Italy, with his 12 league goals helping to deliver Napoli’s second league title in three seasons.
Napoli are open to adding a new striker to their ranks to provide cover and depth behind Romelu Lukaku and ahead of their return to the Champions League.
The idea of including Alejandro Garnacho as the makeweight was also floated in the piece after Napoli bid €50m / £42m for the winger in January.
However, the report summarised Napoli’s interest in the Argentina international as now being ‘part of the past’.
Of course, United would have to top up their end of the deal with a sizeable cash injection if including Zirkzee in the deal for Osimhen.
Encouragingly for Man Utd, GdS insisted Osimhen ‘dreams’ of moving to the Premier League which in Italy, is viewed as the greatest showcase in club football after the Champions League.
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