Al-Hilal ‘make £120m bid for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen’
Al-Hilal have reportedly submitted a €140m (£120m) offer to Napoli for striker Victor Osimhen.
The Saudi Arabian club have already splashed the cash on four high-profile names from the European leagues this summer, recruiting Ruben Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Malcom for a combined £152m.
Jorge Jesus’s side allegedly had a world-record €300m (£259m) bid for Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe accepted earlier this month, although the Frenchman is believed to have turned down a summer switch to the Middle East.
Al-Hilal have also attempted to sign Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, but negotiations seem to have hit a stumbling block with the Premier League club, who are demanding a figure over £50m for the Serbian.
Al-Hilal now appear to have turned their attention to another striker in the form of Osimhen, with Sky Sports in Italy reporting that they have tabled a huge €140m (£120m) bid for the Napoli marksman.
The report adds that Al-Hilal are also prepared to offer Osimhen a mouth-watering £1m per week in wages, tax-free, to lure him to the Saudi Pro League.
However, the report adds that Napoli are set to reject the offer as they are holding out for a figure in excess of €150m (£128.4m) for the 24-year-old, who has two years remaining on his contract with the Serie A champions.
Talks between Osimhen and Napoli over a new contract are understood to have stalled which has alerted a number of clubs across Europe and now Saudi Arabia.
A big-money move to the Premier League has been mooted throughout this summer, with Manchester United and Chelsea in particular having been heavily linked with the Nigeria international.
However, Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis recently claimed that neither the Red Devils or the Blues can afford to sign the striker this summer, suggesting that PSG are the only European club who have the finances to potentially lure him away from Naples.
PSG could indeed step up their interest in Osimhen having fallen behind Man United in the race to sign Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta BC, while Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane – who is wanted by Bayern Munich – is allegedly against the idea of moving to Paris.
Osimhen was a standout performer for the Partenopei last season, scoring 26 Serie A goals in 32 appearances to help the club win their first Scudetto title for over 30 years.
The striker also excelled in the 2022-23 Champions League with five goals in six appearances en route to the quarter-finals.
The Nigerian has not only starred at club level, as he has also shown his goalscoring excellence on the international stage, netting 17 goals in 25 senior caps for the Super Eagles since his debut in 2017.
