Serie A top scorer Victor Osimhen has been on Newcastle United’s radar for a while. Now, the Nigerian striker has spoken of his dream to play in the Premier League.
Newcastle were linked to Napoli striker Osimhen in January 2022 and were touted with a return in the summer. Osimhen stayed in Italy to continue his journey in Naples. Eddie Howe will definitely be feeling that he missed out after the 24-year-old has gone on to score 19 goals in 21 Serie A appearances so far this campaign.
With Newcastle struggling for goals this season, it’s gutting to think about what could have been. But now Osimhen has told The Athletic that he dreams of playing in England: “A lot of people worldwide consider the Premier League as the best and the strongest league but now I’m in one of the best leagues in the world which is the Italian Serie A.
“I’m working so hard to make sure that I achieve my dream of playing in the Premier League some day but like I said, it’s a process and I just want to keep on this momentum and continue to do well.”
Osimhen: “I’m working hard to achieve my dream”
As you’d expect, Osimhen’s form has attracted interest from several other clubs and it’s now believed that Manchester United and Arsenal have set their sights on the man that Cagliari manager, Walter Mazzarri called “phenomenal“.
It was suggested in the summer that Newcastle’s biggest obstacle was that they couldn’t offer Osimhen European football, something that may not ring true this summer, putting Newcastle in a much better position to negotiate.
Although with Arsenal and Manchester United sniffing around too, Eddie Howe will have his work cut out if he wants to bring the Nigerian to St James’ Park.
Some big obstacles remain for Newcastle
Osimhen will not be cheap with his asking price reportedly set at £85million last summer, it’s hard to imagine that Napoli will be open to taking less than that after his heroics this season. That could price Newcastle out of a deal as they navigate their way around FFP.
Additionally, if Newcastle don’t regain their fourth place spot by the end of the season, they’ll find themselves in a difficult position. Napoli are currently 15 points clear at the top of Serie A too, which means they’ll be playing Champions League football next season, so it’s highly unlikely that Osimhen would leave for club that’s not playing in the Champions League.
As much as Osimhen would be a mind blowing signing for the Magpies, it doesn’t seem like one that’s likely to happen.
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