Arsenal have the upper hand over Chelsea in the race to sign Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, according to Sky Sports reporter Gianluca Di Marzio.
The Gunners are on the search for a marquee centre-forward and they have been fancied to sign RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko in recent days.
Alongside Sesko, the club have also been credited with an interest in Osimhen and Di Marzio claims that they could make an approach for him.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the 50-year-old said that Osimhen has a very high salary and Chelsea have not made progress after meeting his representative.
The Blues have been unable to agree personal terms, but Di Marzio believes Osimhen could still end up in the Premier League with the Gunners this summer.
He said: “I think so, even if it’s difficult to arrange a deal with his really high exit clause of €130m. Nobody wants to pay this amount so Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis should ask for less money.”
“He has a very high salary and that’s why Chelsea didn’t go forward because after a meeting with his agent, they didn’t find an agreement with the salary.
“I think he will leave Napoli for less money than the clause.”
He added on Arsenal: “Benjamin Sesko is one of the top targets for Arsenal but also other clubs like AC Milan.”
“Arsenal will go for a striker, even Victor Osimhen could be a target. Arsenal need a striker like that.
“I think Arsenal will be in for one of these important strikers this summer.”
Meanwhile in a separate update on his website, Di Marzio highlighted that Osimhen could also prefer a move to Mikel Arteta’s side in the next transfer window.
Arsenal should sign Sesko instead of Osimhen
Osimhen has previously admitted his dream of playing in the Premier League and Arsenal are probably one of the clubs that can meet his weekly wage demands.
The Nigerian star currently earns a basic salary of £212,000 per week at Napoli. He could ask in the region of £250,000 to £300,000 per week to make the switch to the Gunners.
With Champions League football, Arsenal should be able to meet his salary requirements, but we are not convinced over a move due to his tendency to pick up niggles.
Osimhen netted 17 goals from 2,474 minutes for Napoli last term, but he missed 10 games due to four separate injuries. He is currently out for four weeks with a fresh concern.
With his unreliable fitness, it does not appear worthwhile to spend a nine-figure transfer sum.
Instead, the club should focus on signing Sesko, who is an emerging star with huge potential.
The Slovenian ace netted 18 goals from 2,056 minutes for Leipzig last season. The young marksman has been injury free during his last two seasons for club and country.
In comparison to Osimhen, Sesko can be signed for a relatively low fee of £55m due to a release clause.
His salary is also on the lower side at £58,000 per week and the Gunners could easily persuade him to make the move for around £120,000-£150,000 per week this summer.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Capology.com
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2024-05-31 20:31:21
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