Fresh reports indicate that Arsenal have now turned their attention to Napoli’s Victor Osimhen to reinforce their striker position. After an overhaul last summer, the Gunners are set for another spending spree as they target at least a new forward, a right-winger and a midfielder. However, sources have also linked Manchester United with the Nigerian forward.

Victor Osimhen arrived at Napoli from Lille in September 2020, for a reported fee of €70million (around £58million). In less than two years, he has established himself as a regular starter with the club. In 57 appearances with the Naples club, the Nigerian has scored 26 goals and has 8 assists (stats via Transfermarkt). This season, he has 12 goals and 4 assists in 22 Serie A games, and four goals in five Europa League games. Despite being a regular with the Gli Azzurri, the striker has continuously been linked with an exit from the Stadio Maradona.

In January, Arsenal failed to sign any player, despite letting talisman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leave for Barcelona on a free transfer after terminating his contract. The North London side did come close to signing multiple players, including current Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, but nothing materialised.

Looking at the strikers currently available with manager Mikel Arteta, both Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah’s contracts are up in the summer. Currently, no talks are happening with any of the forwards regarding a contract extension, with Nketiah already refusing to sign an extension earlier. Thus, the club desperately want to bring a striker to the Emirates during the summer.

According to Gazzetta Dello Sport (via Football.London), Arsenal have ‘set their sights’ on Victor Osimhen, with the London club leading the race to sign the player. However, it would not be an easy task, with various Premier League clubs such as Manchester United, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea also linked with the 23-year-old striker.

Reports from the outlet mentioned the Magpies trying to sign the striker at the end of the season. Napoli transfer expert Emanuele Cammaroto said about Osimhen:

“The big names of the Premier League are following him and are beginning to come forward.

“But Napoli’s idea is to keep the Nigerian centre forward at least for another season unless there are significant proposals. At the moment, Arsenal has come forward and has sounded out the player’s entourage.

“Osimhen has registered the interest of the Gunners, and it seems that he has been flattered by the proposal. But he doesn’t consider Arsenal a first choice for his career. The former Lille player wants to play in the Champions League with Napoli, and then he will choose his future.”

Arsenal manager Arteta on Lacazette's future: "His contract situation allows him to make a decision about his future. We have expressed our intention to speak in the summer". 🇫🇷 @ChrisWheatley_ #AFC

"I just want him fully focussed on defending Arsenal in the best way".

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 19, 2022

As per Corriere Dello Sport journalist Antonio Giordano, the Nigerian centre-forward would not hesitate to ditch Arsenal over Manchester United if the Red Devils approach him. He said via TEAMtalk:

“Arsenal never stopped following him and, surprisingly, Manchester United. In the personal imagination of a 23-year-old player, United are a temptation and if the Red Devils reach certain figures, history teaches us those certain operations must be done.”

Victor Osimhen has earlier confessed how he came close to joining Arsenal during Arsene Wenger’s tenure. In 2020, he told The Independent:

“I had a lot of options. Barcelona; Inter Milan; Atletico Madrid; Juventus and the rest. Arsenal was a good option but it wasn’t the best at the time. I wanted to start playing as soon as I turned 18.”

🚨Arsenal are at the front of the queue for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, according to Gazzetta Dello Sport.

The report also claims that the Gunners have 'set their sights' on the Nigerian international as Mikel Arteta looks to bolster his forward options. pic.twitter.com/sDdMLqMgdZ

— Aaron Catterson-Reid (@ReidTheGame) April 14, 2022

If Arsenal can convince Victor Osimhen to change clubs, then Arteta will have a reliable striker in his possesion. His statistics reflect how he can be very effective for the club as they target trophies next season. However, the Gunners need to finish in the top-4 to have a chance to persuade the Nigerian forward to join them, as the player clearly wants to play in the Champions League.

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Italian outlets have suggested that Napoli are not really keen to sell their star striker after just two seasons with the club. Therefore, club president Aurelio De Laurentiis has quoted a price of €100million (£84million) for the striker.

Meanwhile, the Gunners are browsing Napoli’s squad not only for their striker but also for their midfield star Fabian Ruiz. According to Transfermarkt, the Spaniard is valued at £49.5million. Thus, it remains to be seen if the Gunners actually cough up such a large sum for both the players, who are among the Italian club’s most important players.

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