Napoli prepare for Osimhen transfer bidding war after Man Utd ‘tried to leapfrog Chelsea into pole position in January’
NAPOLI are reportedly bracing for a huge summer bidding war over star striker Victor Osimhen.
Osimhen, 24, scored twice in Napoli’s 3-0 win over Spezia on Sunday to continue his hot streak as he fired the Italian giants 13 points ahead in the Serie A title race.
Victor Osimhen continued his hot streak against Spezia last weekendRex
Here’s how he has performed so far this season
However, the club are preparing for a bidding war from European financial heavyweights for the striker.
Manchester United and Chelsea are both interested in signing him.
And according to Italian newspaper Il Mattino, which is based in Naples, United have already made contact in an effort to get ahead in the race.
They report that United made contact with Napoli in January in order to get “in pole position” by striking a deal in winter.
It was unclear whether the nature of the deal was designed for a January move or a pre-emptive agreement for the summer, but Napoli turned down the move regardless.
Given their pursuit of a first title since 1990, it makes sense for them not to want to distract their star man ahead of the run in.
Osimhen has now scored 16 goals in 17 Serie A appearances, also adding four assists to the tally.
Il Mattino’s report also suggests that Napoli have set a £133million price tag on his head.
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It comes following another report which said United were eyeing a deal of £107m as they looked for an alternative to Harry Kane.
The England skipper refused to commit his future to Tottenham after breaking Jimmy Greaves’ goalscoring record for the club, though Spurs remain unwilling to lose their star man.
