Spurs-linked goal machine who snubbed Arsenal hopes to ‘play for a big club in England’

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A player who has been linked with Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal has spoken of his desire to “play for a big club in England” one day, in conversation with The Independent.

According to French outlet Le Quotidien du Foot, Lille striker Victor Osimhen is on the radar of both Spurs boss Jose Mourinho and Gunners counterpart Mikel Arteta, amongst other big clubs.

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.

Osimhen’s exploits helped Lille up to fourth in the table and in the race for a European place prior to the football shutdown.

While the 21-year-old says he’s currently happy at his current club, he sees himself playing in the Premier League in future.

“Of course, one day I’d like to play for a big club in England,” he told The Independent. “I’ve spoken to Odion [Ighalo, of Manchester United] about it. He gave me very good advice, he’s a legend and a big brother.

“My goal is to play at one of the biggest clubs in the world but now I’m very happy in Lille. My priority is to play a lot of games. Signing for a big club and being on the bench is not exciting for me.”

Osimhen also revealed that he talked to Arsene Wenger after winning the Golden Boot at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup five years ago, but he snubbed Arsenal in favour of Wolfsburg.

“I spoke with Arsene Wenger after the tournament ended and he wanted me to come to Arsenal,” he said. “I had a lot of options. Barcelona; Inter Milan; Atletico Madrid; Juventus and the rest.

“Arsenal was a good option but it wasn’t the best at the time. I wanted to start playing as soon as I turned 18. I wanted to go to a place where I had time to invest in my game and improve physically. Wolfsburg showed me that possibility.”

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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 Tottenham and Arsenal.

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

Spurs, meanwhile, will surely not want a repeat of their crisis up front before the shutdown and thus could bolster their ranks accordingly.

However, with Le10 Sport reporting that Lille are eyeing a record-breaking fee for Osimhen, perhaps even in the region of €100million (£92million) bracket, it won’t be an easy negotiation process.