Lineker tells Osimhen which club to join

Stuart Telford

• Updated: 28 Jan 2024 09:07 GMT
• 3 min read

Victor Osimhen is understood to be a transfer target for Premier League giants Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea, and now Gary Lineker has weighed in on the Napoli striker's future.

Osimhen hit a league-high 26 goals as Napoli ended a 33-year wait for a Serie A title last season, and has added another seven from 13 games this term.

A proven striker in his prime at 25, Osimhen signed a new three-year contract with Napoli in December which reportedly has a release clause of €130 million - an amount that would be prohibitively expensive for most, but seen as an invitation to bid for some.

Osimhen might be seen as an upgrade on any of the incumbent No.9s in question - Rasmus Hojlund, Gabriel Jesus and Nicolas Jackson respectively - but Match of the Day host Lineker thinks it should be a straightforward decision for Osimhen.

Lineker: Osimhen should join Arsenal

"I think I'd look at it and I'd go, at the moment, Arsenal," the former England striker told the Rest is Football podcast. "Obviously, we're talking about everyone offering the same thing, that's what you want, blah blah blah in your contract.

"I mean, to be honest, they earn so much now that you can just choose where you want to go. I would say, Arsenal are probably a centre-forward away from winning things.

"Chelsea are a centre-forward away from becoming competitive again. Manchester United are a centre-forward away from improving, but they've still got a long way to go. If I were him, you want to go somewhere where you think you're going to win things."

Osimhen is valued at €77.5m by FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm, so any suitor would be paying over the odds if they met his release clause. Napoli might have to settle for slightly less, however, with FFP hanging over all the clubs in question.