Man Utd prepare €70m bid to trigger release clause of goal-a-game striker

Manchester United have been linked with a sensational €70 million move to sign Victor Osimhen from Napoli during the January transfer window.

Reports from Il Mattino claim that the Red Devils are preparing to match the Nigeria international’s release clause, which could potentially end his loan with Galatasaray and send him to Old Trafford in a season-defining deal.

Osimhen has also been linked with PSG, while interest from Man Utd’s Premier League rivals Arsenal and Chelsea continues to be discussed after both clubs chased the 25-year-old seriously in the summer.

With rumours mounting as the January window approaches, Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna was prompted to break his silence on the issue on Sunday.

“Nobody called us. Osimhen is a player owned by Napoli who is playing on loan at Galatasaray,” he told DAZN (via Sky Sport Italia). “I would say that we are talking about it too much. At the moment there is absolutely nothing and we are focused on the pitch.”

Osimhen bids likely

Osimhen has made it clear that he’s settled for the moment at Galatasaray and does not expect to be recalled by Napoli to be sold again in January.

His statistics reflect how happy the striker claims to be, with Osimhen having scored 10 goals in 13 matches for his loan club, chipping in a further four assists across these appearances.

He was again decisive at the weekend as Galatasaray claimed a 3-2 victory over Sivasspor, despite playing 75 minutes with 10 men.

Osimhen limped out of the game with a quarter of an hour remaining, yet there is no indication that he has picked up the type of injury that might put teams off signing him during the January window.

The likes of Man Utd and PSG are both desperate for more goal scoring power, so it would be little surprise to see both at least sound out the hitman, who has spent much of the last 18 months scoring at a rate of close to a goal a game for Napoli and now Galatasaray.