Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis has said Paris Saint-Germain are the “only club” that can afford Chelsea and Man Utd target Victor Osimhen.
Both Premier League sides are in the market for a new No. 9, though the former have already confirmed the signing of Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal.
There is one big problem, however: Napoli’s valuation.
Osimhen is not pushing for a transfer, even though we all know he wants to play in England at some point in his career, which means the Serie A outfit can stand firm with their £150million asking price.
PSG are also believed to be keen and could decide to pay a fee in that region if Kylian Mbappe leaves this summer.
And Napoli’s president has provided a boost in PSG’s pursuit while dealing a serious blow to Chelsea and Man Utd.
De Laurentiis says there is only one club in world football that can “afford” the Nigerian, and it is the French champions.
“The only club that could afford Victor Osimhen is Paris Saint-Germain,” he 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.”
Man Utd are in dire need of a new striker but entered the summer transfer window with a budget of £100m, half of which has been spent on Mason Mount.
The other half is going on Inter goalkeeper Andre Onana by the look of things, which means Erik ten Hag will need to sell a few first-team players to fund an attacker.
Man Utd have reportedly set a £50m asking price for club captain Harry Maguire, which is hilariously ambitious, while Fred and Scott McTominay could be sold.
If the Red Devils want a game-changing striker, they will need to sell all three – while lowering their valuation of Maguire. Alternatively, Rasmus Hojlund is a solid option.
He is not as proven as Osimhen and Harry Kane, but at the age of 20, he has a ridiculous amount of potential and has shown plenty of proof he knows where the back of the net is.
Atalanta are expected to ask for at least £60m considering Hojlund is under contract in Bergamo until 2027.
If the Onana deal falls through, Man Utd’s remaining funds will probably be spent on the Danish international.
