Victor Osimhen was wanted by Tottenham and Liverpool, agent confirms

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Napoli striker Victor Osimhen was indeed a transfer target for Premier League clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool according to the player’s agent.

The Nigeria international completed a move to the Serie A side from Lille a month ago for a reported €70 million/£63 million, rising to €80 million/£72 million (Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, via ESPN).

The 21-year-old has made a blistering start for his new club, scoring a hat-trick on Friday during an 11-0 friendly win over L’Aquila.

There are big expectations of Osimhen at Napoli, with the club having fallen out of Europe with their seventh-placed finish in 2019/20.

Clearly Osimhen is a talent with major potential, and the player’s agent Roberto Calenda has confirmed his client was wanted by Spurs and Liverpool before his massive transfer.

He told Radio Marte: “I say that we are talking about a player of undisputed talent, so much so that since the early years of his career many teams have always been interested in him.

[It was a] difficult operation, Tottenham and Liverpool wanted Osimhen until the end, even Barcelona initially wanted him to replace Suarez. But Napoli did everything, they wanted him and took him.”

TBR’s View – The one that got away?

Napoli ultimately shelled out an awful lot of money to buy Osimhen, so it is no surprise that Spurs and Liverpool were unable to facilitate moves of their own.

But one wonders if either club will come to regret missing out on him.

It is plainly obvious how much potential he has – some of his finishing for Lille last season was genuinely remarkable for one still very young.

He has it all – pace, strength, intelligence, composure.

It might never have been feasible for Spurs or Liverpool, but his development over in Italy could really make for some uncomfortable viewing.