Reported Newcastle United target Victor Osimhen came in clutch for Napoli yesterday, hitting a brace in a 2-1 win over Udinese.
Napoli were actually 1-0 down in the game thanks to a goal for the visitors from Gerard Deulofeu.
But Osimhen first struck on 52 minutes, heading Mario Rui’s free-kick into the bottom corner.
He then followed that up with a brilliant first-time finish from a Giovanni Di Lorenzo cross. It was an excellent run to the near post which helped him to create space, before finishing across the goalkeeper.
Osimhen’s two goals were actually very significant.
Not only does the win keep Napoli three points behind leaders AC Milan, but Osimhen now has 11 for the campaign.
That makes him the first Nigerian to achieve double figures in two consecutive Serie A seasons. He has also become only the fourth African player to achieve the feat in the Italian top-flight, after George Weah for Milan, Samuel Eto’o for Inter Milan and Mo Salah for AS Roma (via dailypost.ng).
Osimhen’s brace will no doubt have several teams alert to him.
It was reported in January that Osimhen was a player on Newcastle’s radar. Newcastle had apparently considered him as an alternative to Dusan Vlahovic, who moved to Juventus.
Corriere dello Sport claimed Newcastle actually offered £84 million for the player.
It was always going to be extremely difficult for the Magpies to complete such a high-profile transfer mid-season.
Ultimately, the only striker to sign for the club in the winter window was Chris Wood,. That was after Newcastle triggered his buy-out clause at Burnley.
Corriere added that the club could make a fresh approach for him this summer.
Osimhen starting to prove himself with Napoli following recent Newcastle transfer links
Napoli are firmly in the title race over in Serie A, and Osimhen’s contributions have been key so far.
He is now starting to show why Napoli forked out so much money to sign him from Lille back in 2020.
He looks to be a centre-forward with really good movement in the box, impressive pace and really sharp finishing.
Newcastle will surely be in the market for a new striker this summer. The club signed Chris Wood but realistically, he is not going to be the answer long-term.
Osimhen is much younger, and has attributes that make him potentially well suited to the Premier League.
Hopefully Newcastle will go back in for him.
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