Manchester United have reportedly cooled their interest in Napoli striker Victor Osimhen due to his €100 million price tag.
The Nigerian international is considered to be one of the Red Devils’ top targets to replace Cristiano Ronaldo, whose contract was mutually terminated in November.
Osimhen has been a driving force in Napoli’s charge to the Serie A title this season, scoring 14 goals and assisting four times in 19 games across all competitions for Luciano Spalletti’s team.
The former Lille attacker has a league-high 13 goals from 15 games in the Italian top flight, two more than nearest challenger Ademola Lookman, as Napoli sit 12 points clear of reigning champions AC Milan.
Osimhen’s recent form has, unsurprisingly, generated links to Premier League moves, but Napoli are not under any pressure to offload him cheaply because his contract isn’t up until 2025.
As a result, the Scudetto contenders are said to have slapped a €100m (£88.3m) asking price on the 24-yearolf’s, head putting Man United off a deal.
The Manchester Evening News quotes journalist Florian Plettenberg as saying that after learning of Napoli’s demands, Man United is now looking into less expensive Osimhen alternatives.
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Plettenburg adds that Erik ten Hag’s side has not given up on the Nigerian completely, but he is no longer the number one target on their summer transfer shortlist.
Arsenal and Newcastle United have also been linked with a move for Osimhen, who has 42 goals and 13 assists in 81 games for Napoli since joining in 2020.
Man United took action after Ronaldo gave an explosive interview to close friend Piers Morgan, criticising the club’s structure and admitting he had no respect for Ten Hag.
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