Hot shot Osimhen shakes Europe with goals as Chelsea, Man Utd intensify chase for Napoli striker

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has been attracting numerous headlines for his performances and goals in Italy this season which have placed Napoli 13 points clear at the top Serie A. The 24-year-old has scored in five consecutive league games matches with his tally for the season at 16 after netting a brace against Spezia on Sunday.

After scoring a delightful goal in a high stakes clash against AS Roma, Osimhen scored twice in five minutes to seal Napoli’s 18th win of the season. Due to his displays, strong interest from the Premier League has emerged in acquiring his services with Manchester United and Chelsea making enquiries.

According to the Mirror, Napoli – who are currently top of Serie A – will demand around £100m for their striker. Osimhen is also discussed in Gazzetta dello Sport’s Sunday edition where they claim both clubs are ‘ready’ to invest €120million (£106million) to sign Osimhen.

Both Chelsea and United are desperately in need of a new striker, with Tottenham’s Harry Kane and RB Salzburg’s Benjamin Sesko joining Osimhen on their list of targets for the summer. Wout Weghorst joined the Red Devils in January on loan from Burnley after his temporary move to Besiktas from the Clarets was terminated.

In west London, David Fofana was brought to the club from Molde in January but the 20-year-old is very much a player for the future, with just 60 minutes being handed to the Ivorian since his arrival. Kai Havertz has struggled to take on the role after summer exits for Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang returned to the Premier League to sign for Chelsea and link up with former manager Thomas Tuchel in the summer of 2022. However, he has struggled to adapt to life back in London and was subsequently omitted from Graham Potter’s Champions League squad for the second half of the season.

All of those facts have seen Chelsea now enter the market for a new centre forward with Dusan Vlahovic also eyed as a potential acquisition alongside Osimhen. Gary Lineker has now given his seal of approval for the Napoli star after he produced some special moments both off the pitch and on it at the weekend.

Osimhen quickly rushed into the stands after he inadvertently hit a young fan with a ball in the warm-up, and no less than a couple of hours later he had sealed yet another Napoli win with two trademark goals. The forward showcased his incredible leap to nod home a loose clearance, comfortably outjumping the Spezia goalkeeper, he than doubled his tally for the afternoon with a poachers finish after being played in by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Those goals have further justified both interest from England’s top flight and the staggering price tag set by Napoli. His contract expires in 2025 and the Italian champions-elect could cash in on him in the summer, with his stock the highest it has ever been following his move to Italy from Lille in 2020.