Arsenal back out of quest for Osimhen after Napoli place a €150m price tag on him

ENGLISH Premier League side Arsenal have given up on their hopes of signing Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen at the end of the season after his Italian club Napoli placed a €150m price tag on him.

Osimhen, 23, has been linked to several top clubs in Europe after another decent season in Italy's  Serie A where he has scored 12 goals in 19 league starts this season. Apart from winning six penalties and averaging an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.12 for Napoli in the league, he has also scored four times in the Europa League.

This string of consistent and reliable performances has led to the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle United expressing an interest in the striker. Napoli have not put Osimhen up for sale but the striker’s agent Andrea D’Amico, has revealed that the club will not refuse a significant bid in the region of €150m

Mr D’Amico said: “If a very important offer arrives, he goes away but this is true for every player who plays in Italy. At the moment, I have no requests from the Premier League but it is early.

"It is a situation that remains evolving and England remains a top-tier market. When I speak of an important and indispensable offer for Osimhen, I mean offers of €150m.”

While a €150m transfer fee is no worry for big spenders like Newcastle and Manchester United, it could put off Arsenal, especially if the Gunners fail to qualify for the Uefa Champions League. Arsenal’s most expensive signing is Ivory Coast’s Nicolas Pepe  who cost €80m and he has not fared particularly well in London since he arrived in 2019.

As a result, Arsenal are likely to think twice before shelling out nearly twice the amount they paid for the Ivorian. It is likely that Arsenal may have moved on from Osimhen, and instead are now looking at a £50mj deal for Roma striker Tammy Abraham.