Victor Osimhen is leaving Napoli: Which club should he join?

When one of the biggest talents from Africa announces that they will change clubs in the summer, many teams begin to work on the deal.

This is the case for Victor Osimhen, who has just announced his departure from Napoli when the term finishes.

The Italian club has also admitted their star man will be on the move when this campaign ends, so this will surely be the last term we will associate him with the Serie A club.

Osimhen has consistently been one of the best strikers in Europe, and at 25, he is at the prime of his career, so clubs will queue to add him to their group.

A talent made to shine

Osimhen broke out onto the scene for Nigeria as a dominant striker at the U17 FIFA World Cup stage in 2015.

He was a standout performer for his country as they won the World Cup in Chile, scoring ten stunning goals.

Osimhen was head and shoulder above all the players in that competition, and some of the goals he scored were so good people could doubt his age.

The top clubs who want to sign him now, all battled for his signature at the time, but he chose to join Wolfsburg in Germany when he was 18.

The Nigerian could have been one of those wonderkids who fail on the way because his spell at the German club was a disaster.

But his career took off when he moved to Belgian side Charleroi on loan in 2018, and his performance there earned him a permanent move to the club before Lille snapped him up in 2019.

Following one successful term at Lille, Osimhen moved to Napoli in 2020 and has been a hero to most fans of the Italian club.

His goals helped them win the Serie A title last term, a first in three decades for the Naples club.

Osimhen has had bad moments in Naples, but he will leave them with a big reputation and should play for bigger European sides in the next campaign.

Napoli fans will buy as many match tickets from trusted resellers on Seatsnet in the next few months to see the Nigerian for the last few times, But which team will he join?

Chelsea

Chelsea has been named as the overwhelming favourites to sign Osimhen in the summer, and the striker seems to have a close bond with their legend Didier Drogba.

He and the former Ivorian striker can be seen after almost every game Nigeria plays at the ongoing AFCON, and the Blues' supporters believe Drogba is tapping him up for their team.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side needs an accomplished striker because Nicolas Jackson is nowhere near good enough to help them win some trophies.

Fans were shocked when they allowed Romelu Lukaku to leave on loan to AS Roma in the summer to be replaced by Jackson.

The Senegalese striker has not been good enough, and Osimhen will make Chelsea a stronger team to play against.

The Blues also have the money to trigger his release clause as they have spent at least £1 billion since the current owners bought the club. Will he choose to join them?

Arsenal

Arsenal is the second most likely club to sign Osimhen at the end of this season, as they have followed him for a long time.

The Gunners made a fatal error of not signing a new striker in the summer after splashing the cash on Declan Rice and Kai Havertz.

Havertz had played in the attack at Chelsea and notably scored the winning goal at the 2021 Champions League final.

However, he has struggled at the Emirates and has not even been able to perform well in midfield.

The Gunners banked on Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah to provide the goals for them, but neither striker has been good enough to lead them to success this term.

Mikel Arteta’s side is set to end the campaign trophyless again, unless they win the Champions League or the Premier League.

They need someone as lethal as Osimhen and will get the chance to sign their man in the summer.

However, the competition from Chelsea is serious, and the Blues have hijacked their move for at least one player in the past.

This is partly because Arsenal is often reluctant to break the bank to sign the player they need, and it will be interesting to see if they will trigger Osimhen’s release clause or match any bid that Chelsea makes for the Nigerian.

Manchester United

Chelsea and Arsenal are two of Osimhen’s top suitors in Europe, but because he looks destined for a spell in the Premier League, the Nigerian could also move to Manchester United.

Rasmus Hojlund has failed to make the required impact since he joined the Red Devils from Atalanta in the summer, and they might return to Serie A for another striker.

United will release Anthony Martial in the summer as his nine-year stay at the club ends in a disappointing manner, and the best way to replace the Frenchman is with a striker like Osimhen.

Hojlund will struggle to bench the Napoli man, but for result sake, it makes no sense to keep relying on Hojlund, who has failed to make an impact.

With the right service, Osimhen will score many goals for the Red Devils, and he already outscored Hojlund in the Italian top flight.

United is being rebuilt, but we expect them to still splash the cash on players, which makes them eligible to sign Osimhen because they are one of the richest clubs in the world.

PSG

PSG will lose Kylian Mbappe in the summer as he runs down his contract at the French club, and they will struggle when he departs.

Goncalo Ramos joined them in the summer to serve as an understudy for the Frenchman in preparation for his departure from the club, but the former Benfica goal machine has been a flop.

It will be criminal to bank on Ramos to replace Mbappe when he has shown he cannot do that.

Osimhen will be a good addition to their squad, and they will have space in their budget to accommodate him as their highest earner if Mbappe leaves them as expected.

However, it remains to be seen if Osimhen will want to return to France, where he has already has a spell at Lille or if he will move to another competition like the Premier League to test himself.

Real Madrid

There are doubts over Mbappe’s move to Real Madrid, with some reports suggesting the Frenchman is being offered a lower salary than he makes at PSG now.

Madrid has been linked with a move for the World Cup winner for a long time, but there are no guarantees that Mbappe will take a pay cut to join them.

This has opened the door for Osimhen to join the Spanish giants at the end of the term.

If they cannot add Mbappe to their squad, they will certainly want to make a move for Osimhen, who is now one of the best strikers in the world.

The Nigerian might not be cheaper than Mbappe, but he will not demand a salary that is as big as what the Frenchman will want.

It will be interesting to see the next team that Osimhen will join in Europe, but he could also opt to move to Saudi Arabia, where he will make more money than in Europe.