Jose Mourinho has compared Napoli star striker Victor Osimhen to Chelsea legend Didier Drogba.
And the iconic manager has expressed how a team with "a lot of money" like Arsenal should secure his services. 25-year-old Osimhen has been making waves in Serie A over the past couple of seasons, netting 65 league goals since arriving in Naples from LOSC Lille in 2020.
For his efforts, the rapid and powerful talisman has racked up an abundance of interest from a number of Premier League clubs, including Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United. The Gunners are no doubt lacking an out-and-out striker, with Gabriel Jesus failing to make much of an impact since joining from Manchester City in 2022.
Had they had a goalscoring number 9 at their disposal, Arsenal may well have achieved Premier League greatness in their two most recent campaigns. Instead, they succumbed to the powers of City in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons, missing out by just two points last time around.
Mourinho last year drew comparisons with Osimhen and Chelsea legend Drogba, who achieved 104 goals and 55 assists at Stamford Bridge between 2004 and 2015 – winning two Golden Boots and four Premier League titles for his efforts. Speaking in 2023, the mastermind manager said: "He is of the same level as Drogba, but Didier didn't dive.
"If Victor changes, then OK, I'd buy him if I was at a club with a lot of money. However, if he does go to England one day, he needs to change, because in Italy they put up with this sort of behaviour, whereas in the Premier League, they'd come down hard on him."
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Should Arsenal wish to acquire the services of Osimhen ahead of the 2024/25 season, however, it looks likely that they will be faced with the prospect of paying his reported £113million release clause – as the striker signed a contract extension with Napoli until 2026 in December to keep him grounded at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
With a market value of £84million, according to Transfermarkt, Napoli may accept a bid in that region – but it is still a hefty price for the Gunners, who have a reported wage bill of £164,476,000 going into the 2024/25 campaign. While Chelsea are also linked with the star man, in desperate need of a No.9 themselves after a disappointing sixth-place Premier League finish last season, PSG are currently favourites to sign Osimhen this summer.
The Parisian elites have freed up Kylian Mbappe's reported £26.2million yearly salary after the 25-year-old joined Real Madrid this summer on a free, and they will be looking to find someone to replicate his thirst for goals on the pitch. Mbappe netted 191 goals and set 74 assists up for PSG between 2018 and 2024, and will be a massive miss to the Ligue 1 champions after his exit.
Should Chelsea miss out on Osimhen this year, then Enzo Maresca has a plethora of other choices to welcome to Stamford Bridge - with the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Karim Adeyemi and Maximilian Beier all linked this summer.
Arsenal, meanwhile, could see another of their forwards leave soon, with Eddie Nketiah said to be keen on Marseille's project after an approach from the French club, who signed Mason Greenwood from Manchester United last week.
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