Man United in fresh Victor Osimhen transfer twist as £42.6m contract offer ‘prepared’ for Napoli striker
Manchester United‘s pursuit of Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has apparently taken a fresh twist, as Al-Hilal are preparing a last-ditch salary offer for the Nigeria international.
Osimhen is due to return to Naples on the back of a successful loan spell with Galatasaray, but an exit appears inevitable after he was frozen out of Antonio Conte‘s squad last year.
Al-Hilal appeared to be at the head of the queue to sign the former Lille man, but it was reported last week that Osimhen had rejected the chance to make the lucrative move to the Middle East.
The 26-year-old seemingly feels that he still has plenty to offer in Europe, and Man United are believed to have reopened talks to sign him in the current summer window.
However, the Red Devils still have a few hurdles to clear in the race for Osimhen, as Al-Hilal have supposedly not given up hope of luring him to the Saudi Pro League.
Al-Hilal ‘preparing’ mammoth £42.6m salary offer for Osimhen
According to Goal, the Saudi giants will make one final effort to prise Osimhen away from Napoli with an astronomical salary offer, which could see the forward pocket up to €50m (£42.6m) per year in Saudi Arabia.
Osimhen is understood to have turned down a contract proposal worth a reported €30m (£25.5m) per season with Al-Hilal, who were hoping to strike a deal before the first summer window closed on June 10 in order to have him in their ranks for the start of the Club World Cup.
While that mission ended in failure, the Middle Eastern powerhouses remain interested in a blockbuster deal and have already informed Napoli of their intentions to pay his €75m (£63.9m) release clause.
Osimhen is only under contract at Napoli for another year and is set to depart the Serie A champions with a record of 76 goals and 18 assists from 133 matches since joining from Lille in 2020.
The 26-year-old’s short stint with Galatasaray saw him amass a terrific 37 goals and eight assists from 41 appearances, but the Turkish giants are unlikely to sign him permanently due to the cost of the operation.
Can Man United realistically win the race for Osimhen?
The life-changing amount of money on offer in Saudi Arabia is not the be all and end all for every footballer; it is not as if Osimhen will be starved of cash if he chooses to move to the Premier League instead.
However, Man United will almost certainly have to sell before they can buy in this instance, having already spent £62.5m to bring Matheus Cunha to the club from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Red Devils could boost their coffers by offloading Rasmus Hojlund to Inter Milan – talks over that deal are understood to be ramping up – but even if they can raise enough cash, their lack of European football will also work against them.
Say one of the Champions League-competing teams – Liverpool, Arsenal or Chelsea – makes a serious play for Osimhen, Man United will be at an immediate disadvantage, especially as the Nigerian can also expect to be first choice at Anfield at the Emirates.
If none of those clubs enters the race, Man United would still need an incredibly strong sales pitch after their disastrous 2024-25 campaign, but the pull of Old Trafford remains strong regardless.
