Newcastle want Osimhen and will sacrifice star to sign Napoli ace

30 Sept 2023 15:40 BST
4 min read

Victor Osimhen celebrates scoring for Napoli against Fiorentina in Serie A — © ProShots

Newcastle have reportedly become the latest side to take interest in Victor Osimhen and the Magpies could attract the attention of Napoli by handing them a ready-made replacement in exchange.

Osimhen is arguably the most coveted striker on the market currently after leading Napoli to the Scudetto last season, with his 26 goals ranking the Nigerian among the highest scorers in Europe.

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However, Osimhen’s future is believed to be in doubt after he took offence to posts on Napoli’s social media which were poking fun at the 24-year-old.

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Osimhen will have one year remaining on his contract next summer and, despite initial speculation he could renew his deal at Napoli, the striker will consider his options after priced out of a move this summer.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid among others are believed to hold a strong interest but sportitalia state that Newcastle ‘really appreciate’ Osimhen and could make an offer to Napoli of £65 million plus Alexander Isak.

Isak only joined the Magpies for £63m last summer but the Swedish international could be used as a makeweight in order to give Newcastle an edge over any rivals by giving Napoli an ideal replacement in return.

Osimhen channeling frustration into performances for Napoli

Napoli were believed to have reached a verbal agreement with Osimhen but renew his contract but the ex-Lille striker was furious at the videos posted on TikTok and removed several links to Napoli from his social media profiles.

However, has not affected Osimhen’s form on the pitch and he came off the bench to score against Lecce, having netted during the week against Udinese after three games without a goal.

Victor Osimhen was benched, he came into the game in the 2nd half, 5 mins later booooooom he scores.

Victor Osimhen is the best No.9 in world football at the moment. pic.twitter.com/MnrYCs1T92
— Lawrence I. Okoro ( Sir Law ) (@LawrenceOkoroPG) September 30, 2023

Osimhen has previously spoken of his desire to play in the Premier League but Napoli refused to entertain offers for him in the summer, however a move to Newcastle could be tempting if Eddie Howe’s side qualify for the Champions League again this season.

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Offering club record signing Isak in exchange would raise eyebrows at St James’ Park considering the 24-year-old is a fan favourite but few would begrudge the opportunity for Newcastle to potentially sign one of the top strikers in the world, although a move isn’t thought to be likely.