Manchester United transfer target Victor Osimhen is being tipped to replace Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford – and he eclipsed one of the Portuguese forward’s goalscoring feats on Sunday
Manchester United transfer target Victor Osimhen has eclipsed a record previously held by Cristiano Ronaldo as the striker continues to be linked with a blockbuster summer switch to Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag is light on attacking options after Ronaldo left United at the turn of the year. And Osimhen is emerging as one of the club’s top attacking targets in the wake of his remarkable goalscoring feats at Napoli.
After bagging a brace in a 3-0 win over Spezia on Sunday, the Nigerian international has now notched 16 league goals and registered four assists in just 17 Serie A games for Napoli this term – and one of his efforts at the weekend broke a record held by the man he’s been tipped to replace at Manchester United.
The 24-year-old reached a height of 2.58m to head home his second goal against Spezia; eclipsing the 2.56m record that Ronaldo had previously set during his time at Juventus back in 2019.
Although Osimhen has been an influential figure for Napoli, who are currently 13 points clear of Inter Milan at the summit of Serie A, the sought-after striker is expected to be lured away from Italy at the end of the current campaign.
As well as interest from Manchester United, who are seeking a long-term replacement for Ronaldo, Chelsea are also admirers of the potent forward and are expected to rival their Premier League counterparts if a race for Osimhen’s services materialises in the summer.
Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has been tipped to replace Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United in the summer ( Image: MB Media/Getty)
Tottenham striker Harry Kane is another name who is believed to appeal to the Old Trafford hierarchy. However, it emerged earlier this week that Spurs would be reluctant to sell their talisman to a domestic rival – even if he refuses to enter negotiations over a new contract.
Tottenham’s stance on Kane means Osimhen is likely to be viewed as a more realistic target. Gazzetta dello Sport have outlined that the Napoli star has a £107million release clause written into his contract, but that sum is unlikely to be a problem for United, who are prepared to spend big on an elite No.9 in the summer after pursuing loan deals in the January transfer window.
If United were to meet the reported buyout clause in Osimhen’s Napoli contract, then a deal for the striker would eclipse the British record £105m deal that took Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea last week.
United snapped up Burnley striker Wout Weghorst on loan to provide depth for the second half of the season after agreeing to mutually terminate Ronaldo’s lucrative contract six months early. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has since signed a two-and-a-half year deal with Saudi-Arabian outfit Al-Nassr.
Demiral to auction Ronaldo’s, Bonucci’s, Dybala’s signed jerseys for Turkish quake victims
ANKARA
Turkish footballer Merih Demiral announced he will auction Cristiano Ronaldo’s, Leonardo Bonucci’s and Paulo Dybala’s signed jerseys and donate the proceeds to Kahramanmaras quake victims in Türkiye.
Demiral, 24, who plays for Atalanta in Italy’s Serie A, said Ronaldo, Bonucci and Dybala, teammates from his former club Juventus, offered their condolences.
He wrote on Twitter that he will auction Ronaldo’s signed jersey from his collection while Bonucci and Dybala donated their signed jerseys to be sold.
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Ronaldo, who was signed by Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr on Dec. 31, 2022, became a free agent in November after his contract with Manchester United was terminated by mutual agreement because of disputes with manager Erik Ten Hag.
Juventus’ veteran defender Bonucci clinched eight Italian Serie A titles with the club.
Dybala, after his contract with Juventus, where he bagged 12 trophies, including five Italian Serie A titles, left at the end of June 2022 and joined the Jose Mourinho-helmed AS Roma in July 2022.
At least 5,434 people were killed and 31,777 injured in 10 provinces in Türkiye after two strong earthquakes jolted the south of the country Monday.
More than 8,000 have been rescued.
Source: mirror.co.uk; aa.com.tr
