Journalist warns Man Utd over "dangerous" deal for "brilliant madman"

Manchester United have been warned of the dangers of signing Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.

Erik ten Hag’s side are currently operating with Burnley loanee Wout Weghorst as their central striker.

However, United will look to sign a new forward in the summer upon the expiry of Weghorst’s loan, with only Marcus Rashford and the injury-prone Anthony Martial also capable of playing up front among the current crop.

One striker believed to be on United’s radar is Osimhen, who has netted 16 in 17 league matches for Napoli this term.

Indeed, the Nigerian scored twice in Napoli’s 3-0 win over Spezia to move Gli Azzurri 13 points clear at the top of the table, and one step closer to their first Scudetto in 33 years.

Osimhen’s £178million price tag ‘crazy’

Italian journalist Gianni Visnadi claimed Osimhen would be an ideal signing for United but warned that Napoli’s reported €200million (£178million) asking price was “crazy”.

Visnadi told Radio Crc via Football365: “I am crazy about Osimhen and I think he is a fantastic player.

“€200million for a footballer seems crazy to me. If we go by the ratio with others I think there is a very dangerous drift in this aspect.

“Osimhen is crazy because he does things that others don’t even think about, this year he is showing who he really is.

“Congratulations to whoever chose him. He is a jewel that has been polished well to make him shine as he deserves.

“Napoli had continuity, good game, alternatives. Napoli went 6 games without Osimhen and no one noticed it because some good guys entered who won the games. Osimhen arrived with the stigmata of a champion, but the coach’s merits are also evident because he is a total player.

“Ibanez making that mistake should be thanked because otherwise, we wouldn’t have seen a crazy play from Osimhen. Only a brilliant madman can make that play, the genius of making that shot there is extraordinary.”

While reports in Italy claim Osimhen would cost some £178million, The Telegraph have claimed the Nigeria international is likely to exceed £100million, given Napoli paid Lille a projected £71million for his services three years ago.

Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis is known to be a tough negotiator however, and with Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea said to be showing interest in Osimhen, he is likely to leave for an enormous fee.

Topics: Football, Transfers, Victor Osimhen, Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag, Napoli, Serie A, Premier League

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.