Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has turned down a highly lucrative offer from Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, according to trusted transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
This development comes as a major boost for Manchester United, who have been consistently linked with the Nigerian forward.
Romano revealed on X earlier today: “Despite a €75 million agreement between Napoli and Al-Hilal, Osimhen has rejected the move to the Saudi Pro League.”
He added, “Galatasaray remain keen and are expected to push hard for his signature, with the transfer race now wide open once again.”
As United’s own Bruno Fernandes did last month, Osimhen has turned down an eye-watering salary – in this case a reported £648,000 per week – in order to pursue a transfer to one of Europe’s top clubs.
Whether that turns out to be Galatasaray, where he spent six months on loan last season, remains to be seen.
Osimhen has made no secret of his desire to play in the Premier League and indeed that Champions League football was not a priority for him.
United can probably stump up the £63 million required by Napoli, but questions remain as to whether they can reach an agreement with the player on salary and, indeed, whether in fact they want the player in their ranks at all.
The 26 year old’s quality is without question, but some reports have suggested that he does not fit the profile that United are looking for, while others have said his salary demands are too high.
Clearly, though, if it was all about money, he would be on his way to Riyadh already.
Journalist Ben Jacobs notes that “European suitors had felt for months that Saudi was his most likely destination,” and that “Premier League clubs felt they couldn’t match the package Osimhen was looking for, including Chelsea who tried last summer, but with Saudi off the table, Osimhen’s is going to now a all options and take his time.”
Jacobs also suggests Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain could still be in the mix.
It seems almost impossible that the deal with Al-Hilal will now be resurrected, both because he has formally turned down the offer of a salary even higher than the one he was demanding, and because the Saudis wanted a decision in time for the Club World Cup, the deadline for which is Tuesday.
Many United fans will be clutching firmly onto this straw of news now and hoping that INEOS can seize the opportunity to land a world-class striker for Ruben Amorim.
