Report: Arsenal will have to cough up £72m to land Victor Osimhen

By Lee Connor

Arsenal will have to find a whopping £72m to sign Lille striker, Victor Osimhen, according to a report from Football Italia. 

Osimhen is one of the hottest properties in European football at the moment. This is thanks to a blistering season in France, where he has smashed in 18 goals in just 31 appearances before Ligue 1 was curtailed.

 (Photo by Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images)

His form and ability have led to a number of clubs, including Arsenal and Napoli, to register their interest in him. (Although, talks of a Napoli deal were rubbished by the player himself)

However, the latest report from Football Italia (via RMC) claims that Lille are desperate to keep their man. Indeed, it seems they want to keep him so much, they are looking to price him out of a move.

Lille are apparently looking for 80m euros for their man (around £72m). That would put Osimhen in a similar bracket to Nicolas Pepe, who, coincidentally, he replaced in Lille after Pepe joined Arsenal.

Arsenal have been linked with Osimhen for a while and Lille are looking to get a big fee for their man it seems. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)

Arsenal are firmly in the hunt for new forwards. However, even with Mikel Arteta a known admirer of Osimhen, a fee of over £70m is likely to be too much for the Gunners.

Lille are just starting an auction, Arsenal should stick with it – TBR View

Last summer, you could have half-understood where the French side was coming from. However, with global financial markets on their backside, for them to ask over £70m for Osimhen is pushing it a bit!

There’s simply no way they’re going to get that fee for him. As talented as he is, he’s already making noises about a move away, or at least, his agent is.

Arsenal should stick with this one. His price will come down when Lille realise they aren’t getting that sum. If the Gunners move Lacazette and Aubameyang on, they might have money to play with, too.