Salvatore Bagni: 'Victor Osimhen wants to join Real Madrid or Manchester United'

Former Napoli midfielder Salvatore Bagni has claimed that Victor Osimhen wants to join Real Madrid or Manchester United during this summer's transfer window.

Osimhen was in excellent form for Napoli during the 2022-23 campaign, scoring 31 goals and registering five assists in 39 appearances in all competitions.

The 24-year-old's future has been the subject of much speculation in recent months, with a number of clubs believed to be keen to secure his signature this summer.

Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool are currently being heavily linked with the Nigeria international, but according to Bagni, Real Madrid and Man United are the only two clubs that the forward would be interested in joining during the current market.

Bagni, who played for Napoli between 1984 and 1988, has said that Osimhen is unlikely to return to France, having previously played for Lille, while Liverpool's lack of Champions League football for next season will cost them the chance to sign him.

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"Osimhen won't return to France because he already played there," Bagni told Tutto Napoli. "He doesn't go to Liverpool or Chelsea because they do not play in the Champions League.

"Of all the teams associated with him, for me, he would only go to Manchester United and Real Madrid. He's not interested in the other teams."

Real Madrid have already secured the signature of Joselu on loan from Espanyol, but the club are expected to move for another forward, having lost Karim Benzema this summer.

Man United, meanwhile, are determined to bring in a striker, with the club seriously short of options in the final third of the field heading into the start of pre-season.

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Cristiano Ronaldo left at the end of last year, which led to Wout Weghorst arriving on loan from Burnley, but the Netherlands international will not be joining on a permanent basis.

There is also speculation surrounding a possible exit for Anthony Martial, which would leave Marcus Rashford as the only senior player with experience of featuring as a striker on a regular basis.

A deal for Osimhen this summer is likely to be incredibly complicated, though, due to Napoli allegedly valuing the Nigerian in the region of £130m.

The forward penned a five-year deal in Naples upon his arrival from Lille in 2020, so his current contract has another two years left to run, placing the Serie A champions in a strong position.

Osimhen has netted 59 goals and registered 14 assists in 101 appearances for his current side over the last two seasons, including 50 goals and 13 assists in 83 Serie A matches.