Victor Osimhen, 25, is currently on loan at Galatasaray in Turkey after falling out of favor at Napoli, following the Nigerian forward’s public statement that his dream was to one day play in the Premier League.
In the summer of 2024, he was strongly linked with a move to Chelsea and PSG, but no transfer went through, with Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis insisting on a “full release clause,” according to BBC Sport.
Chelsea was reportedly considering both a loan and a permanent move for the striker, but chose not to pursue the deal on transfer deadline day due to their “strict new wage structure.”
Having seemingly burned his bridges in Naples, Osimhen was sent to the Turkish club as the transfer window there remained open until September 16.
Despite being in excellent form – with nine goals and three assists in 11 Super Lig appearances – many would argue that a player of his caliber should be playing in one of Europe’s top five leagues.
Now, it has been revealed that Manchester United has been “offered the chance to sign” Osimhen in January, according to TBR. Reports suggest that the Red Devils have been “approached” about a potential transfer, with their “footballing department” reportedly “assessing their options.”
If Osimhen were to join Manchester United, he would compete for a spot in Ruben Amorim’s starting XI alongside Marcus Rashford, Joshua Zirkzee, and Rasmus Hojlund.
Osimhen, who hails from Nigeria, was close to joining United in 2020, according to his brother, Andrew Osimhen. He revealed that Manchester United showed interest in Victor, but the forward chose not to compete with senior player Odion Ighalo. “Manchester United wanted Victor [Osimhen], but he told me something like he had too much respect for Odion Ighalo to be competing for shirts with his senior colleague,” Andrew Osimhen told Complete Sports.
Ighalo, 35, was on loan at United from Shanghai Shenhua during the 2020/21 season.
Osimhen’s contract with Napoli expires in June 2025, and a potential January transfer would allow the Serie A club to receive a fee for him, rather than losing him for free next summer.
TBR reports that a cash deal alone would not be enough to persuade Napoli to sell Osimhen, as the Italian club is reportedly interested in three of United’s attackers. Hojlund, 21, and Zirkzee, 23, both previously played in Italy with Atalanta and Bologna, respectively, and Napoli is also said to admire Rashford, 27.
