Victor Osimhen claims he has already made a decision on the ‘next step’ in his career… but with the likes of Man United, Chelsea and Arsenal all keen, who can afford him and where would be the best fit for the Napoli star?

Victor Osimhen will likely be one of the biggest talking points in the summer transfer window, with a host of Europe’s elite clubs keeping tabs on a striker who is one of the best in the world. 

The 25-year-old sparked a huge amount of intrigue after commenting that he has already made a decision on the ‘next step’ of his career.

There are a number of clubs who are crying out for a player that possesses his attacking firepower, but the list of clubs that can afford the £130m-rated forward is a lot shorter. 

He signed a contract with Napoli last month until 2026, and should he move this summer, then it’s every likelihood that he will be the biggest signing of the summer. 

Should he make a switch to the Premier League, Moises Caicedo’s £115m British record transfer fee could be blown away. With that in mind, Mail Sport assesses who could be a good fit for the Nigerian international, and who can afford him. 

The Napoli striker is currently away with Nigeria for the Africa Cup of Nations tournament

Arsenal

The lack of a notable presence up front is hurting Arsenal in their title fight against Liverpool and Man City. 

Given their struggles to find the back of the net over the festive period and before their 5-0 thrashing of Crystal Palace, it is no surprise to see them linked with Osimhen – who netted 31 goals in all competitions last season.

Mikel Arteta’s side have a choice between Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus to lead the line – with Kai Havertz occasionally playing in the central position. 

Both players are not known to be significant goalscorers, and it is clear they are lacking in this area of the pitch compared to Man City and Liverpool – who have the likes of Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah they can turn to.  

Arsenal don’t possess the same attacking prowess that either Liverpool or Man City have

The top strikers in the game also have a notable physical presence, something which the Gunners lack along their front line. 

Nketiah and Jesus also drop deep regularly or drift out into wide areas.

Osimhen would be a perfect fit for the Gunners as he can provide that physical presence while also give the Gunners someone that is capable of challenging the likes of Haaland and Salah in the scoring charts.

But Osimhen possesses a hefty fee, and Ivan Toney – who has also strongly been linked with a move to the Emirates – is perhaps the more likely of the two than they will turn to. 

Likelihood rating: 3/5 

Arsenal’s finishing has let them down this season in their title fight with Man City and Liverpool

Chelsea 

Despite spending over £1billion in the prior three transfer windows before this month, the Blues somehow still feel short in attack.

The likes of Mykhailo Mudryk, Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku have all arrived at the club over the past year, but Mauricio Pochettino’s side – much like Arsenal – lack a focal point up front.

They might have stuck six goals past Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup, but in the Premier League only Manchester United have scored fewer goals than the Blues among teams sitting in the top-half of the table. 

The west London side view Osimhen as a player who could fill the void which has arguably not been filled since Diego Costa, and he has also drawn comparisons to Didier Drogba. 

Chelsea hold one big advantage in the race to sign Osimhen and that’s the amount they can afford to fork out for the striker. 

Owner Todd Boehly is not afraid to splash the cash, and it would be no surprise to see Chelsea make him their priority signing this summer and break their own British transfer record. 

They have also been linked with Toney, but with the Gunners currently favourites to land the Brentford and England striker, Chelsea could have to fork out more to bring in Osimhen. 

Likelihood rating: 4/5  

Chelsea are the most likely side in the Premier League who potentially could afford Osimhen

Manchester United  

The Red Devils are also reportedly in the shop window for Osimhen – which comes as no surprise due to their struggles up front this season.

Rasmus Hojlund has shown glimpses of promise – particularly in the Champions League – and is the club’s top scorer with seven goals in all competitions.

However, the Danish international, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have only scored seven Premier League goals between them this term.  

That will be a cause for concern for those at United, and following the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS, the Red Devils could be in for a big summer.

The Nigeria star could well be put off a move to Manchester United in the summer given Rasmus Hojlund’s lack of service this campaign, with the striker arriving for £72m last year

Bringing in Osimhen could be detrimental to Hojlund’s playing time, but the Red Devils might feel their Danish star might have time to develop behind Osimhen who is the more seasoned player out of the two thanks to his excellent work at Napoli.  

Osimhen though could glance at Hojlund’s lack of service from players including Antony and Rashford this season and rightfully hold concerns. 

Arsenal are ready for a title challenge, and Chelsea look to be better suited for him, so Osimhen might not hold the same interest in joining United as a move to one of the two London sides. 

United have many areas to strengthen this summer given their issues this campaign so might look to put their backing behind Hojlund and hope he takes a big jump in confidence next season – by surrounding him with better players. 

Likelihood rating: 2/5  

The Red Devils could be in for a big summer given the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS

Paris Saint-Germain

The French giants could have a large hole to fill this summer if Kylian Mbappe leaves the club as expected.

Mbappe is heavily expected to join Real Madrid, and PSG would be determined to bring in a big name after both Lionel Messi and Neymar left the club last year. 

PSG are one of the wealthiest teams in world football and will certainly do all they can to bring in a player of Osimhen’s quality this summer.  

The big question though is whether Ligue 1 will be appealing to Osimhen when he has got the potential of playing Premier League football.   

Osimhen would instantly become the focal point for PSG and likely score goals for fun, and the wages they could offer could be a head-turner for the Nigerian international.

Likelihood rating – 3/5 

PSG are likely to look to spend big if they lose their prized asset Kylian Mbappe this summer

Saudi Arabia  

There has been big interest to bring Osimhen to the Saudi Pro League as recently as last summer. 

Al-Hilal were among the clubs who admired the 25-year-old with the Nigerian confirming he had turned down eye-watering sums of money.

He said on the Obi One podcast with John Obi Mikel: ‘The more I said no to these people [in Saudi Arabia] the more they increased it and increased it, it was literally like, “Wow”, seeing these things.

‘I spoke with the people in charge and we spoke about it with my club and we saw what we could do, we decided, me and them and I told them, ‘I like these people, I want to stay, I don’t think I want to leave for now’. They understand where I’m coming from but they never gave up until their own transfer window [closed].

 ‘As much as we play football for money there’s more that comes with it.’

Clubs in Saudi Arabia would still love to turn Osimhen’s head but it appears that the striker is keen to stay in Europe. 

Likelihood rating: 1/5  

Any other clubs to watch out for? 

The likes of Man City, Liverpool and Tottenham have also been linked with Osimhen but look unlikely to sign the Nigerian. 

Man City do not need Osimhen given they have arguably the world’s most prolific striker in Erling Haaland already.

Liverpool are stacked with attacking quality already and are more likely to recruit in defence. 

Liverpool’s array of attacking talent means they are unlikely to pursue a move for Osimhen

Tottenham would love to bring in Osimhen as a replacement for Kane, but it appears extremely unlikely they will have the pulling power financially compared to other clubs. 

The dark horse could be Real Madrid, if Kylian Mbappe for whatever reason decides not to make the move to the Santiago Bernabeu.