Lille Metropole of France striker, Victor Osimhen has been it with another huge dilemma in his choice of a club to join this summer, as he has received a formal transfer offer of 55m Euros from AS Napoli of Italy, megasportsarena.com reports.
So soon after earlier reports indicated that Liverpool of England had also made an official bid for the Chile 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup highest goals scorer and 2019 Africa Cup of Nations bronze medalist, information out of Italy indicates that Napoli have agreed personal terms with the 21-year-old striker, who notched 18 goals for Lille in the recently cancelled French Ligue 1 season.
Details of the development, as provided variously by Footmercato, Telefoot and Sport Mediaset, disclosed that, in contrast with initial talk that Osimhen and his agent were adverse to accepting an offer from any club in Italy, the youngster has eventually opted for a move to the Serie A, and thereby snub all interests from England and Spain.
Among the clubs said to be in the hunt for his signature are Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur of England, as well as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Sevilla and Valencia of Spain, plus AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus of Italy but Napoli appear to have edged all of them aside.
Although Lille bought Osimhen for only €12m from Sporting Charleroi of Belgium last summer, they reportedly want €80m for his transfer in the coming month, but latest data indicates that it is more likely that a deal will be made for around €55m.
Le10 Sport reports that Napoli are determined to beat their Sere A rivals to a deal for the youngster, who Lille president, Gerard Lopez is prepared to drop his price tag, as he seeks to balance the books this summer.
Lille were previously quoted with a price of €80 to 90m for Osimhen, but Le 10 Sport adds that Lopez, while acknowledging that he must cash in to keep the club running, is prepared to accept a more realistic fee for the lad and could now sell him for as low as €55m.
In reaction to the development, an agent representing Osimhen, Ariyo Igbayilola acknowledged that Napoli are the only club to have tabled a formal offer for the Lille striker, but they are yet to take a final decision on the bid, amid equally vibrant interest from several other top clubs.
Igbayilola told The Cable: “I can confidently tell you that the only club that wants Victor 100% right now is Napoli, but that final decision on whether he wants to join them lies with him. (The fact, though is), I think with the pressure from different clubs in Europe, I doubt if he will stay with Lille in the coming season.”
