Chelsea, Arsenal 'handed boost in pursuit of Napoli striker Victor Osimhen'

Premier League duo Chelsea and Arsenal have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, according to a report.

The Nigeria international has established himself as one of the most prolific strikers in Europe during his three-and-a-half year stay at Napoli having scored 69 goals in 121 appearances across all tournaments.

Osimhen elevated his game to new heights when he scored 26 goals in 32 Serie A games to win the Golden Boot and fire Napoli to their first Scudetto title for over 30 years last season.

The 25-year-old has since experienced an injury-hit 2023-24 campaign which has also been disrupted by his period away on Africa Cup of Nations duty with losing finalists Nigeria.

Osimhen has subsequently found the net 10 times in 20 games for Napoli this term, but he continues to be linked with a big-money exit ahead of the summer transfer window.

In December last year, Osimhen extended his Napoli contract until 2026, but just a month later, club president Aurelio De Laurentiis revealed that the striker is set to leave this summer and will likely join "Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain or a top English club".

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Both Chelsea and Arsenal are known to be in the market for a new centre-forward and have been heavily linked with a move for Osimhen, who allegedly possesses a £112m release clause in his new contract.

PSG have also been tipped to move for Osimhen as they prepare for life without star man Kylian Mbappe, who has allegedly agreed to join Real Madrid upon the expiration of his contract at the end of the season.

According to journalist Ben Jacobs, via GiveMeSport, Osimhen is "very, very high" on PSG's list of targets, but both Chelsea and Arsenal have received 'encouragement' ahead of the summer transfer window as the Nigerian is said to be prioritising a move to England.

Jacobs adds that Osimhen is looking to earn around £250,000 a week at his new club, a figure that Arsenal, Chelsea and PSG "would all be happy to pay".

Earlier this year, Napoli's No.9 expressed his desire to play in the Premier League at some stage in his career, having previously played in Germany, Belgium, France and now Italy.

Osimhen has scored two goals in as many games for Napoli since returning from AFCON duty and the striker will be hoping to add to his tally under new boss Francesco Calzona when the reigning Serie A champions face Sassuolo on Wednesday.