Get Victor Osimhen — Man United icon urges club to splash cash on perfect striker

Victor Osimhen Napoli forward (Photo Credit: Imago)

Get Victor Osimhen — Man United icon urges club to splash cash on perfect striker

Izuchukwu Akawor • Izuchukwu Akawor • 17:52 - 20.07.2024

A Manchester United great has described Victor Osimhen as a proper striker and an ideal signing for his former club.

Former France international Louis Saha has urged Manchester United to do whatever it takes to bring goal machine Victor Osimen to Old Trafford ahead of next season.

Osimhen's future has been the source of intense speculation after the African Player of the Year made clear his intention to leave Serie A leaders Napoli, who he fired to their first league title in 33 years.

Manchester United icon on Osimhen

Premier League rivals Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United, as well as French giants Paris Saint-Germain, who are reportedly close to signing the forward, are all locked in a fierce battle to secure Osimhen's signature.

However, Napoli have slapped a staggering £ 113 million (€130m) price tag on their prized asset, who only signed an improved contract with the club late last year.

Napoli's Victor Osimhen scored more goals than any other Nigerian in the Serie A last season.
Napoli's Victor Osimhen scored more goals than any other Nigerian in the Serie A last season. | Imago

United have also been linked with a move for another young striker of Nigerian heritage, Joshua Zirkzee, who has reportedly given the green light to switch to Old Trafford just 12 months after the £72m signing of Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta.

But Saha, who played for the Red Devils between 2004 and 2008, believes Osimhen would be the ideal man to lead the line for Erik ten Hag's side next season.

Rasmus Hojlund joined United from Atalanta last summer.
Rasmus Hojlund joined United from Atalanta last summer. (Photo Credit: Man Utd/X)

My dream summer signing would be Victor Osimhen from Napoli, he would really fit the bill at Old Trafford,' Saha told Gamblingzone.

If I was them I'd be doing everything to try and get him from Napoli, I'd love to see him in a United shirt next season.

Louis Saha wants to see Victor Osimhen at Manchester United.
Louis Saha wants to see Victor Osimhen at Manchester United.

Osimhen has been in sensational form for Napoli this season, scoring 15 goals in 25 appearances in the Serie A despite the club’s struggle to defend its title.

The Nigerian powerhouse's exploits have not gone unnoticed, with the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and PSG all closely monitoring his situation ahead of a potential big-money move.

Victor Osimhen could leave Napoli this summer
Victor Osimhen could leave Napoli this summer || Imago

However, Saha is convinced that Osimhen would be the perfect fit for United, who are desperate to bolster their attacking options after a disappointing campaign that has seen them struggle for goals and consistency.

His attitude, his work rate, he is so good in front of goal. He has a belief and confidence that reminds me of David Trezeguet or Ruud van Nistelrooy, strikers who attract the ball to their feet,” he added.

Ruud van Nistelrooy could be the perfect mentor for Victor Osimhen at Manchester United as he returns as assistant manager.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, who is back at Manchester United as an assistant manager, could be the perfect mentor for Victor Osimhen.

Proper strikers are dying but it's easy to see that Osimhen is one of them.'

Meanwhile, in a separate development, Italian pundit Giancarlo Padovan has slammed Napoli for not selling Osimhen last summer when they had the chance.

Speaking to TMW on behalf of Sky Sport Italia, Padovan said:

Victor Osimhen scoring a goal for Napoli (Imago/LaPresse)

There won't be any offers for Osimhen, he was supposed to be sold last year: another mistake by President De Laurentiis.

When they offer you 100 million for one, you must not be greedy and say next year he will be worth 20 more, because that is not the case.'

var widgetLoaderConfig = widgetLoaderConfig || { CDN_URL: 'https://widgets.sportal365.com', APP_LINK: 'desktop', API_URL: 'https://africa.football.api.sportal365.com/', API_KEY: '2f852b4de2f3a5cf3188e74b33087bb4:2c18422f8e826a7d11aeed52edb2449e', LANG: 'en', REQUEST_INTERVAL: 30, ENABLE_BET_SLIP: false, AUTHOR: false, THEME: "light", TOURNAMENT_ORDER: "pulse_nigeria", LINK_OPTIONS_V2: { 'player' : { 'url': '/football/player/{playerId}' }, 'team' : { 'url': '/football/{teamId}' }, 'tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}' }, 'match': { 'url' : '/football/match/{matchId}', 'sort': { 'criteria': 'alphabetically', 'direction': 'asc' } }, 'configuration': { 'newWindow': false }, 'standings_tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}/standings' } } }; if (!document.querySelector('script[src="https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js"]')) { window.setTimeout(function () { let scriptCss = document.createElement('link'); scriptCss.href = 'https://www.pulsesports.ug/css/sport-widgets.css?v=1668785443'; scriptCss.rel = 'stylesheet'; scriptCss.type = 'text/css'; document.body.appendChild(scriptCss); let scriptTag = document.createElement('script'); scriptTag.src = 'https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js'; scriptTag.defer = true; scriptTag.onload = function () { window.setTimeout(function () { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }, 200); }; document.head.appendChild(scriptTag); }, 0); } else { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }

Osimhen is still under contract at Napoli until 2025 but with a host of Europe's elite circling, the Serie A leaders may be forced to cash in on their prized asset this summer.

And if Saha has his way, it will be Manchester United who emerge victorious in the race to secure Osimhen's signature as they look to mount a serious title challenge next season.

Victor Osimhen and Antonio Conte in Napoli training. (Photo Credit: Imago)

In a related development, the Red Devils have unveiled another forward with Nigerian blood, Joshua Zirkzee.

Zirkzee, 23, became the first signing of the INEOS after putting pen to paper on a five-year contract with the option for a further year.  Joshua Zirkzee joined from Bologna for a fee of around €40m.

Related content