United lead Chelsea in race for Osimhen

Manchester United are reportedly ahead of Chelsea in the race to sign Napoli forward Victor Osimhen during this summer’s transfer window.

The Nigeria international has been in impressive form for his Italian side during the 2022-23 campaign, scoring 26 goals and registering five assists in 32 appearances in all competitions.

Osimhen has netted 21 Serie A goals this term, with his form a key contributor to the Naples giants sitting 17 points clear of second-placed Lazio at the top of the table.

The 24-year-old was unable to help his side reach the semi-finals of the Champions League, though, with AC Milan running out 2-1 winners in the two-legged quarter-final affair.

Osimhen still has another two years left to run on his current deal, but there has been a host of speculation surrounding his future ahead of the summer window.

Man United and Chelsea have both been heavily linked with the Nigerian, while Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are also said to be keen to secure his signature.

According to Football Insider, Man United are ahead of Chelsea in the race, with the latter expected to find it difficult to meet Napoli’s huge asking price in the summer market.

The Blues will need to sell a number of players this summer in order to keep within the Financial Fair Play restrictions due to their huge spending over the last couple of windows.

Chelsea are also almost certain to miss out on Champions League football for the 2023-24 campaign, with the club currently sitting down in 11th spot in the Premier League table, 20 points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, who also have a game in hand.

Any deal for Osimhen is likely to cost in excess of £100m, and it is unclear how much money will be available to Man United head coach Erik ten Hag this summer due to the ownership situation at the club.

The Glazer family are in talks over a sale, with Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe seen as the favourites to buy the club in a deal that could be worth close to £6bn, but the current owners could yet decide against a full sale and instead bring in investment.

Man United have also been heavily linked with Tottenham Hotspur forward Harry Kane, but a deal for the England captain could be incredibly complicated, with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy unlikely to allow the club’s all-time leading goalscorer to join a domestic rival.

Osimhen made the move to Napoli from Lille in the summer of 2020, and he has represented the Italian side on 94 occasions, scoring 54 goals and registering 14 assists in the process.