Salvatore Bagni feels Victor Osimhen will snub Chelsea after they failed to ensure Champions League qualification
Salvatore Bagni has asserted that Chelsea target Victor Osimhen will move to either join Real Madrid or Manchester United but won’t sign for the Blues or Liverpool after both clubs failed to make the cut for next season’s UEFA Champions League.
Osimhen’s last season at Napoli, where he led the club to the Scudetto after 33 years has seen him become one of the top targets for major European clubs. The Nigerian netted 31 goals in 39 games for the Italian champions, winning the Serie A golden boot in the process.
Manchester United and Chelsea are keen on signing the 24-year-old as they seek to bring in a prolific striker. Meanwhile, the Real Madrid and Kylian Mbappe saga has become active once again which could force the Spaniards to focus their attentions onto the French superstar.
Liverpool are already stacked with a solid frontline and need to reinforce other areas of their roster. It is difficult to see them pay a king’s ransom to land Osimhen, despite his undoubted quality on and off the ball.
Former Napoli player Salvatore feels Osimhen won’t return to France as he already played for LOSC Lille but can join either Real or Manchester United, (h/t Metro) as he said:
‘‘Victor Osimhen won’t return to France because he already played there. He doesn’t go to Liverpool or Chelsea because they do not play the Champions League. Of all the teams associated with him, for me, he would only go to Manchester United and Real Madrid. He’s not interested in the other teams.’’
He may be right, but even if we don’t qualify for the Champions League the following year, we can still use a player like Osimhen. Real will likely have to abide by the Financial Fair Play rules if they are able to buy Mbappe. Having already spent 103m euros (£88.5m) on Jude Bellingham, it will prove difficult for them to throw more money at Osimhen.
Meanwhile, the Reds have Nunez, Jota, and Cody Gakpo who can operate as a striker and their main focus has been re-building a dominant midfield for the next campaign. Unfortunately for us, we are in no position to t ke advantage of it.
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The only teams that have a legitimate motive to sign the striker are Chelsea and Manchester United. United might sign him because they can offer him the Champions League experience, but it also depends on who can persuade him to sign with their project. While we could potentially offer him a solid payday, it remains to be seen if Osimhen is ready for at least one season not playing in Europe’s top competition.