Arsenal are ready to beat Premier League rivals Chelsea to the signing of Napoli striker Victor Osimhen this summer, according to reports.
The Gunners and the Blues are both on the lookout for a new striker this summer as they aim to give themselves an edge in the Premier League next season.
For Arsenal, an upgrade is required on Eddie Nketiah with he and Gabriel Jesus only managing nine goals between them last campaign and Kai Havertz stepping in as the main striker at times.
Mikel Arteta’s side have been linked with a number of different strikers this summer with Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres and Napoli’s Osimhen seemingly at the top of their list.
And reports on Monday claimed that French giants Paris Saint-Germain have ‘pulled out’ of the race to sign Osimhen – who scored 17 goals in all competitions last campaign – with Arsenal now ‘returning’ to the race.
The report added:
‘PSG sources have informed us that they are confident in their current attacking lineup, believing that they have some of the world’s best strikers already in Goncalo Ramos and Randal Kolo Muani. They have dismissed rumours of stalled negotiations, as has been relayed in other publications, asserting that talks are now ‘definitely dead’.
‘PSG believes that Napoli’s asking price for Osimhen is too high and the possible addition of Joao Neves from Benfica would see them well-equipped for the season ahead without needing to pursue the striker.’
Before a report on Tuesday hinted that Chelsea could now be leading the race for Osimhen because of Napoli’s interest in Romelu Lukaku, who spent last season on loan at Serie A rivals Roma.
The Athletic journalist David Ornstein claimed that there were ‘ongoing discussions’ between Chelsea and Napoli to do deals for both Lukaku and Osimhen.
‘Napoli are in ongoing discussions with Chelsea to sign Romelu Lukaku, while dialogue between the clubs also continues about a deal for Victor Osimhen to head in the opposite direction.
‘It is expected that any move for Lukaku would be permanent, whereas the Osimhen talks centre on a loan with an option to buy.
‘Should the Lukaku switch progress, it would see the 31-year-old striker reunited with new Napoli head coach Antonio Conte. They previously worked together for two seasons at Inter Milan.’
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And now a report in Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness) claims that Arsenal ‘break in’ for the signing of Osimhen following PSG’s ‘inaction’ and are now ready to pounce.
Sport Witness insists that there is a ‘clear insinuation is the player would prefer a move’ that Osimhen would prefer a transfer to Arsenal over Chelsea this summer.
They speculate that Arsenal might be a more appealing option to the Nigeria international over Chelsea because of the lack of Champions League football on offer at Stamford Bridge.
The report from Ornstein and elsewhere hinted that Chelsea are attempting to loan Osimhen with an option to buy but the Napoli striker’s agent dismissed the possibility.
Roberto Calenda wrote on X: “I’ve read about unfounded imaginary trades involving Victor, shipped around like a package ready for delivery.
“But remember that this ‘package’ is the top scorer of the third Scudetto in Naples’ history.
“Respect and no more fake news!”