Nigeria’s national coach, Eric Chelle, has name dropped Manchester United as a possible destination for Victor Osimhen as the Red Devils continue their hunt for a new striker.
Ruben Amorim has identified reinforcements in the forward line as an urgent priority this summer after the club’s worst season in the Premier League era.
United finished 15th in the table with only four sides scoring fewer times – Everton and the three relegated clubs, Leicester City, Ipswich Town, and Southampton.
The senior striking partnership of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee combined for just seven league goals, despite totalling over £100 million in transfer across across successive summers.
By contrast, Osimhen, who spent the season on loan with Galatasaray after a fallout with Napoli last year, has scored an impressive 37 goals in 41 appearances for his adopted side, while providing seven assists.
Osimhen has played a pivotal role in Galatasaray’s outstanding campaign, firing the Lions to a Super Lig and Turkish Cup double, firmly reminding top clubs across Europe that he is one of the standout strikers in world football.
Osimhen’s contract in Naples contains a release clause worth around £65 million this summer, but only valid for sides outside of Italy. This favourable price has put a host of teams on the continent on red-alert in desperate need of a reliable goal-scorer, including United, as well as Premier League rivals Arsenal and Chelsea.
But the total financial package needed to secure Osimhen’s signature, once wage demands and agent fees are included, have perturbed European sides with the 26-year-old appearing increasingly close to a blockbuster move to Saudi Arabia.
However, a report relayed by The Peoples Person revealed United are now re-evaluating a move for Osimhen in the wake of a failed pursuit of first-choice target Liam Delap, who rebuffed the Reds’ advances in favour of Chelsea.
And Chelle, the manager of the Super Eagles, has even named the Red Devils as a potential option for Osimhen this summer when speaking about the reason the striker had been left out of Nigeria’s squad for the friendly against Russia on Friday.
“Victor is, for me, the best striker in the world,” Chelle told BBC Sport Africa. “For him it is difficult to come for this game because he played a season with a lot of pressure.
“The reality is there is a transfer window. During this time, a player like him is not focused at 100%. I need to protect him physically and mentally, because maybe he will go [and get a transfer move].
“Maybe a club like Manchester United. Or maybe Chelsea, Barcelona or Real Madrid. So he needs to be focused on that.”
Evidently, Osimhen’s national coach would prefer the 26-year-old striker to remain in Europe during the peak of his career as it will translate to better performances in the green and white shirt of Nigeria.
But the fact he publicly chose United as one of his potential destinations send United fans into a frenzy over the prospect one of Europe’s most lethal marksman joining Amorim’s revolution at Old Trafford, this writer included.
Featured image Ahmad Mora via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
