Transfer Gossip: Man Utd must shatter British transfer record for next signing with Mbappe-like striker on Ten Hag shortlist; Tottenham face Mourinho battle for shock free capture
Manchester United will have to almost double the Premier League transfer record to sign a forward who is on the same level as Kylian Mbappe, Tottenham must fight off Jose Mourinho’s Roma to land a Liverpool player, while Wednesday’s Transfer Gossip claims a Chelsea man is on Inter Milan’s radar.
MAN UTD TOLD TO MAKE RECORD STRIKER BID
Erik ten Hag and Man Utd have found out how much they will need to pay to convince Napoli on selling talisman Victor Osimhen, amid the striker’s stunning form.
After bagging 18 goals in 32 matches last season, Osimhen has reached the next level this term. So far, his record stands at an impressive 17 goals from 21 games, with 16 of those strikes coming in Serie A.
Osimhen’s goals are a big reason why Napoli are leading the Italian title race. They have a 13-point lead on second-placed Inter after playing the same amount of matches and could win their first league title since the days of Diego Maradona.
Napoli would love to keep Osimhen for the long run, but they know Europe’s biggest teams are lurking for him. As such, they could be forced into a sale in the summer transfer window.
This will only happen if his potential suitors put up the right price. Recently, a report from ESPN claimed the Nigerian will cost £90million.
Man Utd are among the clubs chasing Osimhen’s signature, with The Telegraph stating he is on Ten Hag’s striker shortlist alongside Harry Kane.
Signing Osimhen for £90m would see Man Utd only just eclipse their record signing, which is the £89m they spent on Paul Pogba in 2016. However, there has now been a big suggestion Osimhen will cost way more than £90m.
Journalist Bruno Gentili reckons the Red Devils should have to pay an astonishing €200m (£178m) for the 24-year-old attacker this summer. That would see Man Utd almost double the current Prem transfer record, which is Chelsea’s £107m deal for Enzo Fernandez.
Napoli must ‘watch out for Man Utd’
“Watch out for Manchester United for Victor, may the assault never come. For me the Nigerian is worth €200m,” Gentili declared on Italian station Radio Kiss Kiss (via Calcio Napoli).
Fellow Italian reporter Paolo de Paola took the Osimhen valuation a step further, while also comparing Napoli’s star man to Paris Saint-Germain goalscorer Kylian Mbappe.
“Osimhen is worth at least €300m (£267m),” De Paola said. “I don’t see any huge differences between him and Mbappe. On the contrary, Osimhen places himself more at the disposal of the team and his teammates.”
Whatever price tag Napoli hand Osimhen, Man Utd chiefs will aim to negotiate it down. Saving money will help them to improve other positions, such as goalkeeper or right-back.
Spending a reduced fee on Osimhen will also help to lessen the pressure on his shoulders, should he move to Old Trafford. if he became the most expensive player of all time, then this would send expectations among fans sky high.
Instead, Man Utd will hope they can get Osimhen for less than £100m, and potentially under the fee they paid for Pogba, too.
MOURINHO COULD USURP TOTTENHAM IN MIDFIELDER CHASE
Tottenham will have to fend off former boss Jose Mourinho if they want to land Liverpool’s Naby Keita, as Roma have reportedly joined the hunt for the midfielder.
Keita is heading towards free agency. Liverpool have seemingly had enough of his injury problems and have opted not to extend his contract. The 27-year-old’s current deal expires on June 30.
Despite Keita’s injury woes, he still represents a decent transfer opportunity. He could be a good addition to a Premier League squad given his experience in the division, while he has also played in the Champions League and on the international stage. Plus, the fact he will not cost any transfer fee makes him even more attractive to potential suitors.
On Tuesday, 90Min revealed that Antonio Conte is considering a shock move to sign Keita for Tottenham.
Conte apparently believes he can get the best out of him by playing him more regularly. Of course, this will only happen if Keita stays fit.
However, Spurs now have a serious rival for the capture. As per HITC, Roma are preparing to swoop in for Keita and will soon send him a contract offer.
Roma officials believe the Liverpool man is the calibre of player needed to improve Mourinho’s squad.
The signing may be complex for Roma, given Keita’s wage demands. He currently earns around £120,000 a week at Liverpool, which is more than most Roma players.
But the Italian side are preparing to push ahead with negotiations anyway. And Mourinho would be delighted if Roma could beat his former club Spurs to the free signing.
CHELSEA WARY OF INTER RAID
Keita could be followed to Italy by Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah, as Roma’s Serie A rivals Inter are supposedly keen on landing him.
Chalobah has impressed whenever he has played for Chelsea, showing maturity beyond his 23 years. He is versatile too, with the ability to operate as a centre-half or defensive midfielder.
But the Cobham academy graduate may struggle for game time at Stamford Bridge in the next season or two due to Graham Potter’s huge squad. Chalobah is joined by fellow centre-backs Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly, Thiago Silva and Benoit Badiashile in the Chelsea setup. Cesar Azpilicueta can play there too if needed.
As such, it may make sense for Chalobah to leave Chelsea. And Inter are ready to provide him with that opportunity, according to Calciomercato reporter Niccolo Ceccarini.
He reveals Inter are hunting for Milan Skriniar’s successor in defence, with the Slovakian poised to join PSG for free this summer. They are eyeing up former Man Utd player Chris Smalling, who will also become a free agent at the end of the season due to his Roma contract expiring.
But if Smalling decides to come back to the Premier League, then Inter could go all out for Chalobah instead.
The Nerazzurri would have to do some serious convincing to get Chelsea to sell Chalobah. After all, he is rated highly by Blues coaches and is viewed as a solid player for the future.
But if Inter put enough money on the table then this could change Chelsea’s minds. Put simply, Potter probably has enough defenders in his squad already to do without Chalobah.
There is another reason why Inter may soon enter discussions with Chelsea for Chalobah. This is the fact they want to strike up a good relationship with the west London outfit ahead of possible summer negotiations over wing-back Denzel Dumfries.
Chelsea are big admirers of Dumfries and if Inter are already in contact with them over Chalobah, then they may get more money when selling the Dutchman.
