Paris Saint-Germain have ‘come back to life’ in the race to sign Napoli forward Victor Osimhen.
PSG had made Osimhen a leading transfer target for the summer but the player’s desire to move to the Premier League complicated their pursuit.
However, Arsenal and Chelsea have each shown reluctance to meet the €130m (£109m) release clause in Osimhen’s contract, allowing PSG to ‘come back to life’ in the race, according to Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport.
The French champions view Osimhen as an ideal replacement for Kylian Mbappe, after the club’s record scorer departed to sign for Real Madrid upon the expiration of his contract.
Osimhen has scored 76 goals in 133 games for Napoli since arriving from Lille in a club-record deal and was named African Footballer of the Year after inspiring the Italian side’s Serie A title success in 2022-23.
Chelsea had hoped to lower the asking price with the offer of players in part-exchange, though Napoli are holding out for a record fee for the Nigeria international.
Interest remains high in Osimhen from the Saudi Pro League, with Al-Ahli pursuing a deal, but a move to Saudi Arabia does not appeal to the 25-year-old at this stage of his career.
Despite the economic benefit of a move to the Middle East, Osimhen wants to leave for a leading European club with the Premier League his preferred destination.
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