Italian transfer news expert, Fabrizio Romano, on Wednesday provided some insight into Arsenal’s striker plans this summer explaining that the Gunners are not willing to pay the huge sum of money needed to sign Napoli world-class forward Victor Osimhen, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
In his Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing, the Italian revealed that the London club was seemingly leaning towards signing someone like Viktor Gyokeres over Osimhen.
Arsenal have made signing a striker one of their priorities in the summer and have on several occasions made their intention on the Nigerian striker known but despite appreciating the immense quality of the Napoli man, the Gunners are reluctant to spend the huge sums of money required to sign the Nigeria international from Napoli this summer.
Osimhen, who joined Napoli from Lille in 2020, signed a new contract in December that saw him earning a monthly salary of €1.5m, almost doubling his previous earnings with a £113m release clause in his new contract.
Discussing Arsenal’s plans for a striker this summer, Romano said, “I’ve had some fans asking me about reports in Italy suggesting that Arsenal have cooled their interest in Victor Osimhen because he could be too expensive, or that they are concerned about entering into difficult and lengthy negotiations with Napoli.
“Osimhen has always been appreciated, but many clubs are cautious now waiting to understand the salary/commission package, as there’s already a very expensive release clause to take into consideration. This is why Arsenal are looking at other strikers, including Viktor Gyokeres, who remains on their shortlist.”
This has seemingly led the Gunners to look at someone like Sporting Lisbon front-man Gyokeres as an alternative.
Osimhen has emerged as one of the most sought-after strikers across Europe after scoring 31 goals in 39 appearances last season and guiding Napoli to their first-ever league title in over three decades.
The Lagos-born striker has been linked with moves to Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspurs.
While he has not been as prolific as he was last term, when he finished as the Serie A top scorer with 26 goals, Osimhen still boasts of decent numbers, considering how much Napoli have struggled this term.
He has 15 goals and four assists in 27 appearances across all competitions.
