Lille striker Victor Osimhen waiting on Manchester United or Arsenal and is set to reject Napoli – reports

Lille striker Victor Osimhen is set to reject a move to Italian side Napoli in favour of a move to either Manchester United of Arsenal, should either Premier League club be interested in signing him this summer. United have been linked to the player already in 2020 with suggestions of a £75 million bid by an unnamed club back in May.

Football Italia have reported that the Nigeria striker, 21, will reject Gennaro Gattuso’s side and wait for the Premier League duo to make contact, which seems a ballsy thing to do, unless his agent knows that both clubs hold an interest in the player, which would change the picture for the player massively this summer.

Napoli have been pursuing the striker for months now and will feel annoyed that they have wasted their time. However, it could be a massive gain for the Premier League. Osimhen met Gattuso and was even invited to club president Aurelio De Laurentiis’ home on the island of Capri but on leaving, asked for a few days to think about his decision.

Reports in Italy state that Napoli had agreed to a £46million fee to sign Osimhen, which seems well short of the apparent £75 million bid by an unnamed team in May, which was probably made up by the media. It will show United and Arsenal what they will need to spend in order to sign the player and if both are interested, he will make a decision.

Osimhen has emerged as a top prospect in the game this season, scoring 18 goals and six assists in 38 matches, which for his age shows progress. However, at United, he might not be the number one striker at the club, unless the formation is going to change with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opting for two strikers, instead of one being flanked by two wide players.

Lille might try their chances with United are Arsenal after Napoli negotiated their £46 million offer, which might not be something that the Premier League duo could do with Lille presumably holding out for more. Perhaps they will accept a fee of a similar amount but would be silly not to try for more money – if the two sides hold any interest at all.

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