Manchester United are contemplating a €140 million bid for Napoli attacker Victor Osimhen before the summer transfer window closes.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, reportedly advised the Serie A heavyweights to expect a large bid for the Nigerian international, according to Il Mattino, a respectable Naples-based publication.
Ronaldo wants to play in the Champions League this year, so Mendes has been working to find him a new team.
In order to replace the Portuguese star with Osimhen, Il Mattino reports that Manchester United is even willing to pay for a significant portion of Ronaldo’s salary.
In order to make room for Ronaldo’s move from Old Trafford, the Serie A team is looking to offload the Nigerian. A deal for up to €140 million is anticipated to be negotiated between the two teams in the coming days.
Many supporters feel that United lack a prolific goal-hungry striker and that Osimhen would be the ideal addition to solve United’s goal-scoring problems after the team’s close victory over Southampton on Saturday.
Ronaldo is looking to leave Old Trafford to qualify for Champions League football, and Napoli is eager to bring him back to Serie A. He has already made himself available to several European teams, including Milan and Inter.
Ronaldo lover Aurelio De Laurentiis, the president of Napoli, is ready to pay €140 million for Osimhen.
Arsenal and Tottenham were once interested in Osimhen, but only fellow interested party Newcastle may be willing to spend more than £100 million on the star.
Ronaldo’s fictitious £360,000-per-week pay won’t be an issue for Napoli if Osimhen’s deal is approved because Laurentiis intends to utilize Italian tax regulations to his advantage.
Napoli might save 50% on Ronaldo’s salary because the legislation offers tax breaks to Italian teams that purchase foreign players from overseas.
There is now “nothing solid” between Napoli, Manchester United, and Cristiano Ronaldo, according to Luciano Spalletti, the manager of Napoli. However, he said that if such a deal were to materialize, it “wouldn’t be a swap with Victor Osimhen.”
“De Laurentiis, he told me that he received no offer, so let’s remain as realistic as possible here and take into consideration only things that could happen”, the coach said.
“There are only a few days left in the transfer window, it seems unlikely that could go through. There is nothing concrete at the moment.
“It wouldn’t be a swap, it would be two different signings, in that case. One of the two can turn a game by himself. But in any case, at the moment we should not consider things that won’t help us pick up three points in Florence.”
In the first two Serie A games of the 2022–23 campaign, Osimhen scored twice as Napoli thrashed Hellas Verona and Monza by an aggregate score of 9–2.
The 23-year-old attacker, who cost a club record €70 million to acquire from Lille in 2020, has had success in southern Italy.
If Ronaldo wants to play in the Champions League this year, a move to Napoli might be the solution but can Manchester United cough out €140 million for Osimhen this summer?
