Victor Osimhen has handed Arsenal a sucker punch in their efforts to sign a new striker in the upcoming transfer window. The 23-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium, though his latest admission could cause a commotion among Gunners fans.
The north London outfit are one of several teams linked with a move for the Nigeria international as Edu looks to strengthen Mikel Arteta's front line. As previously reported by football.london, Arsenal will target two centre-forwards this summer.
While it's understood that Manchester City's Gabriel Jesus and Roma's Tammy Abraham are on the club's radar, reports have suggested that Osimhen is another potential option. Last month, Edu was told by transfer guru Gianluca Di Marzio that Arsenal will have to pay at least €100million (£83.7million) in order to secure the striker's services.
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La Gazzetta dello Sport, as cited by The Express, say that Osimhen would be prepared to join the Gunners over both Manchester United and Newcastle, who are both also said to be interested in a deal. Though, while Chelsea have not been credited with a concrete interest in the talisman, Thomas Tuchel's side have been granted an outside chance should they join the race.
That is because Osimhen has admitted that Didier Drogba was his idol growing up, with many of his childhood friends claiming to be Chelsea supporters. Speaking to the Nigerian Football Federation amid the international break, the Napoli striker spoke of his relationship with Chelsea.
"My childhood idol is Didier Drogba," Osimhen told NFF TV. "When I scored against Chelsea. The feeling because I know a lot of my friends that are Chelsea fans and before the game they messaged that they don't care if Chelsea beat Lille 5-1 or 5-2 as long as I score.
"They really wanted me to actualize my dream and I'm really happy. It's one of the best moments of my career."
Osimhen featured 27 times for Napoli in the Serie A this season, directly contributing to 19 goals. His impressive performances guided the Italian giants to Champions League qualification, and just seven points from a Scudetto.
