Report: Club identifies replacement for Drogba-esque 18-goal sharpshooter that Arsenal want

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Reported Arsenal target Victor Osimhen is a man in demand and Lille may have just sourced his replacement, according to a report by Le10 Sport.

The Nigeria international has enjoyed a superb season, claiming 18 goals and six assists in 38 games in all competitions, while his Ligue 1 tally stands at 13 goals and five assists from 27 games.

The 21-year-old’s exploits helped Lille up to fourth in the table and in the race for a European place prior to the football shutdown.

According to French outlet Le Quotidien du Foot, Osimhen is on the radar of Gunners boss Mikel Arteta as well as of Tottenham Hotspur and other clubs.

Le10 Sport now claims that the interest in Osimhen has forced Lille to start considering a successor, and they are now “seriously thinking” about Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard.

The Scottish Premiership sharpshooter has himself recently been linked with Arsenal and the latest Le10 Sport report values him at 30 to 40 million Euros (around £26m – 45m).

An earlier report from the same outlet suggests that Lille may be looking for a club record fee for Osimhen, potentially the region of €100million (£92million), while his Transfermarkt value stands at £24.3million.

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Osimhen has certainly shown this season that he is a high-calibre player and seemingly destined for a higher level, hence it’s little surprise that he has been linked with the likes of Arsenal.

The Gunners have the impressive Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette on their books but both of their futures are somewhat uncertain.

It remains to be seen how much Osimhen would go for, but if either Aubameyang or Lacazette ask the club to leave, Arsenal could recoup a decent amount of money to then invest in a player who has been compared to Didier Drogba.

“I’m sure he’s going to be a phenomenon,” former Charleroi teammate Nicolas Penneteau told Voix du Nord earlier this season.

“I’d compare him to Didier Drogba. He really makes me think of him. He has the same profile. He can do everything and he’s phenomenally powerful.”