Manchester United and Chelsea are reportedly among three clubs prepared to fork out the €75m (£62.1m) release clause in the contract of Napoli striker Victor Osimhen this summer.
The Nigeria international was strongly linked with a Premier League switch last summer following the breakdown of his relationship with the Napoli hierarchy, as well as new head coach Antonio Conte.
The Partenopei boss froze Osimhen out of his squad as he secured a reunion with Romelu Lukaku, leaving the ex-Lille man at risk of no football for half a season without a transfer elsewhere.
Osimhen eventually found himself at the heart of a spectacular deadline-day transfer saga in the summer, where he appeared to be bound for Al-Ahli before the Saudi giants also agreed a fee with Brentford for Ivan Toney.
The latter eventually completed a move to the Middle East, forcing Osimhen to find a temporary home in Turkey with Galatasaray, where he has contributed 25 combined goals and assists in 25 matches this term.
Man United, Chelsea 'prepared' to pay Osimhen release clause
© Imago
Galatasaray are not expected to strike a permanent deal for Osimhen this summer, but the 26-year-old is also highly unlikely to reignite his career with Napoli, whom he is only under contract with for another one-and-a-half years.
The striker's contract is also believed to include a modest release clause of €75m (£62.4m), allowing him to secure a trouble-free exit this summer, and Napoli Magazine claims that three European giants are prepared to pay that amount.
Manchester United and Chelsea - both of whom were heavily linked with Osimhen last year - are said to be among them, while Paris Saint-Germain are also attentive to the situation.
However, Osimhen has supposedly been warned that he will not receive a salary of more than €8m (£6.6m) per year at Chelsea, whereas he could have pocketed a staggering €30m (£24.8m) by going to Saudi Arabia.
The 26-year-old spearheaded Napoli's charge to the 2022-23 Serie A title and boasts a total of 76 goals and 17 assists in 133 matches for the Partenopei in all tournaments since joining from Lille in a £64.2m deal in 2020.
Which club needs Osimhen the most?
© Imago
PSG have still not directly replaced Kylian Mbappe with a signing of equal calibre, but the French champions have seen Ousmane Dembele flourish up top this season and also poached Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli in January.
The prospect of linking up with Kvaratskhelia again may be appealing to Osimhen, but PSG are already brimming with offensive options, including Randal Kolo Muani, who has made a brilliant start to life on loan at Juventus.
Chelsea, in contrast, are currently bereft of a central striker owing to Marc Guiu and Nicolas Jackson's injuries and are sure to target a new centre-forward this summer, but the latter has proven highly useful this season when fully fit.
In contrast, neither Rasmus Hojlund nor Joshua Zirkzee have cut the mustard for Man United this season, and the Red Devils arguably need a fresh face up front the most, and certainly one of Osimhen's ilk.
However, with the 20-time English champions languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League standings, Osimhen may understandably have reservations about joining a club with no prospects of European football.
Ben Knapton
