Manchester United have been handed a huge blow in the pursuit of Napoli striker Victor Osimhen after the comments from president Aurelio De Laurentiis.
Osimhen has had a tremendous campaign with the Serie A outfit and recently bagged his 27th goal of the campaign in the 1-1 draw against Udinese on the road.
In the process, Napoli ended a three-decade wait to lift the Scudetto and De Laurentiis has now insisted that Osimhen is going nowhere during the summer.
Speaking with Rai Sport, he said: “I will not sell Victor Osimhen this summer – no way!”
United handed huge blow in Osimhen pursuit
The Red Devils have been long-term admirers of the Nigerian star. They tried an ambitious swap deal for him last summer and are planning a fresh approach this year.
It has been regularly reported that Napoli want €150 million to sanction his sale but De Laurentiis’ comments could scupper United’s chances of signing him.
The Napoli chief is one of the toughest negotiators in world football. He was reluctant to part ways with Kalidou Koulibaly in his prime and only sold him last summer.
United were interested in signing the Senegal international back in 2018 and they should be aware of the difficulty of persuading De Laurentiis into parting ways with Osimhen.
The club should still make an attempt to land the highly-rated striker. If De Laurentiis stays firm with his stance, they should look at other alternatives to bolster the strike force.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani are also on United’s radar.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
