Arsenal 'turned down' chance to sign Victor Osimhen for one simple reason

Arsenal reportedly rejected the chance to sign Victor Osimhen this summer because they felt the Napoli striker was simply too expensive.

Osimhen was heavily linked with a move away from Napoli this summer, with the likes of Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli all interested in the 25-year-old's services.

However, Osimhen failed to seal a permanent transfer and ended up joining Galatasaray on a season-long loan instead, with Napoli having already signed Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea as his replacement.

It has now emerged that Arsenal were also offered Osimhen, but balked at the idea of paying his release clause. According to , it would have cost Arsenal more than £100million to sign Osimhen and they were 'never prepared' to pay that kind of fee.

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Arsenal have long been linked with a move for Osimhen and the player even turned them down during Arsene Wenger's time in charge, having attracted plenty of interest after starring for Nigeria at the U17 World Cup in 2015.

"I spoke with Arsene Wenger after the tournament ended and he wanted me to come to Arsenal," he told the Independent in 2020. "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," he explained. "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."

Arsenal ended up not signing a striker this summer, with manager Mikel Arteta persisting with Kai Havertz up front. Instead, they completed deals for defender Riccardo Calafiori, midfielder Mikel Merino, winger Raheem Sterling and goalkeeper Neto.

They also cashed in on the likes of Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah and Aaron Ramsdale, while Reiss Nelson, Fabio Vieira, Karl Hein and Marquinhos have all left the club on loan.

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