Gary Lineker has offered up an explanation as to why Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal didn’t try to sign a £64.8million striker this summer.
The three Premier League giants have all been in the market for a new centre-forward this transfer window and willing to spend big in order to get their top targets.
Chelsea have brought in Joao Pedro and Liam Delap for a combined £80m, while Arsenal signed Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting Lisbon for £64m.
United are still in the market and are currently battling Newcastle for the signature of RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.
Over the past few years, all three clubs had also been linked with signing Victor Osimhen following his goalscoring heroics at Napoli, but the Nigerian has instead re-joined Galatasaray.
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The 26-year-old enjoyed his loan spell at the Turkish champions last season, scoring 37 goals in 41 games, but it is surprising to see one of the best strikers in Europe moving to a club outside the top-five leagues.
‘Osimhen signed a deal for four years at Galatasaray in Turkey. I can’t believe it,’ Manchester City icon Micah Richards said on The Rest is Football podcast.
‘A top player like that should be playing… Galatasaray is a massive club but in terms of European football he could do better than that, in my opinion.
‘He’d be top a three No.9 in the Premier League. Fact.
‘Joao Pedro is unbelievable, but you cannot say he’s better than Osimhen. Not a chance.’
Lineker also found the transfer strange but had also heard a theory as to why there wasn’t much interest in the player this summer as there had been in the past.
‘I saw Osimhen play a couple of times against Leicester when they were in the Europa League,’ the England legend added.
‘He was so impressive and I’ve followed his career because of that. He was absolutely brilliant for Napoli. I mean, he was sensational.
Victor Osimhen
Appearances: 41
Goals: 37
Assists: 8
Trophies: Süper Lig, Turkish Cup
‘I do hear on the grapevine that a reason one or two of the clubs are a little bit nervous is that he sometimes goes missing for a few days. So, there’s apparently some kind of slight question mark as to his character in that sense.
‘But whether that’s true or not, I wouldn’t confirm it. But that’s what someone that’s quite close to one or two big clubs and agents [has said].
‘It does seem strange that he’s never ended up at one of the giants because talent wise wow.’
Osimhen came close to joining Chelsea last summer, with former Blue John Obi Mikel, who was helping broker the deal, claiming that his fellow Nigerian remained keen on a move to Stamford Bridge this year.
Rio Ferdinand repeatedly called for Manchester United to sign him and even claimed that the striker was ‘waiting’ for a call from Old Trafford.
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