Forget PSG, Real Madrid or the Premier League, this club should be Osimhen's next destination

Weighing Victor Osimhen's options in the transfer window

Forget PSG, Real Madrid or the Premier League, this club should be Osimhen's next destination

Tunde Young 14:58 - 22.03.2023

Weighing potential destinations for Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen amid links to the Premier League and Real Madrid

Victor Osimhen has been incessantly linked with a move away from Napoli in the coming transfer window thanks to his superb form this season.

The Nigerian striker has scored 25 goals in 29 games for Napoli this season, the type of numbers that attract links to the biggest clubs in the world.

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Premier League clubs like Chelsea, Arsenal and the two Manchester giants have been linked to Osimhen as well as European elites such as Real Madrid and Paris Saint Germain but where should Osimhen really go? If at all leaving Napoli becomes an option.

Osimhen's potential destinations

Before any more pontifications about his future destinations, it is important to mention that Victor Osimhen has just over two years left on his current Napoli contract which he signed when the club paid a whopping €75 million for his services in 2020.

Victor Osimhen joined Napoli from Lille for €75 million in 2020
Victor Osimhen joined Napoli from Lille for €75 million in 2020

So it is unlikely that Napoli are looking to sell nor do they even need to according to club owner Aurelio De Laurentiis but if he were to move this summer, Bayern Munich makes the most sense of all his potential destinations.

One has to assume that Napoli would be looking to sell Osimhen for at least double what they paid for him which is a fair assessment considering the current transfer climate.

Victor Osimhen has been attracting attention from Europe's elite clubs
Victor Osimhen has been attracting attention from Europe's elite clubs

Lucky enough, all of the clubs that have been linked to him, Manchester City, United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Paris Saint Germain and Real Madrid can afford the projected €140 million fee.

But when it comes down to which of those clubs would actually pay that much based on precedent or even needs a striker that badly, the list is whittled down to Chelsea, Manchester United, Paris Saint Germain and Real Madrid.

https://twitter.com/SkySportsPL/status/1638456561604476930?s=20

Chelsea would be the perfect destination in theory considering the fact that they can definitely afford him thanks to their spend-thrift owner Todd Boehly and they also happen to need a striker but the lack of success for centre-forwards at Stamford Bridge makes the club a less attractive destination from Osimhen's perspective.

Chelsea majority shareholder Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali
Chelsea majority shareholder Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali

Manchester United are also said to be strongly interested with Wout Weghorst temporarily holding the space for an elite striker to come in the summer.  

Wout Weghorst is Manchester United's temporary fix for the centre forward position
Wout Weghorst is Manchester United's temporary fix for the centre forward position

Paris also makes sense as a destination, a super team in a lovely city without an elite central striker on the books, meaning he can just slot in and partner up with Mbappe (if he's still there) to wreak further havoc on Ligue 1 where he has prior experience with Lille.

Real Madrid have also been linked with 35-year-old star striker Karim Benzema in his twilight years but the club have a well-publicised (and probably unhealthy) fixation on signing Mbappe so Osimhen might not be high up their radar for now.

Karim Benzema is in the twilight years of his Real Madrid career
Karim Benzema is in the twilight years of his Real Madrid career

This leaves Bayern Munich as the perfect destination for Osimhen despite the Germans sparsely getting mentioned in the saga, it would be a match made in heaven.

Why Osimhen to Bayern Munich makes sense

It is unlikely that Bayern Munich would ever pay north of €150 million for any player as the Germans have a reputation for being smart and frugal in the transfer market.

Victor Osimhen to Bayern Munich?
Victor Osimhen to Bayern Munich?

They have only ever paid more than €50 million for a player twice in their 123-year history and both were on defenders: €67 million to land Matthijs De Ligt from Juventus last summer while their club record signing remains the €80 million signing of Lucas Hernandez in 2019.

Matthijs de Ligt is the second-most expensive player in Bayern Munich history
Matthijs de Ligt is the second-most expensive player in Bayern Munich history

If Bayern were to somehow sign Osimhen, he would be by far their most expensive striker ever at the very least, surpassing the measly €30 million they paid for Mario Gomez in 2009.

Finances aside, Bayern still have not replaced Robert Lewandowski who left to join Barcelona at the start of the season and although Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has done a great job so far by his standards, he is no elite striker.

Robert Lewandowski lef tBayern Munich to join Barcelona and still has not been replaced
Robert Lewandowski lef tBayern Munich to join Barcelona and still has not been replaced

Osimhen on the other hand has newly attained that elite status and the 24-year-old would fit in like a glove in Bavaria over the next decade just like Lewandoski did.

The Polish gunman scored 344 goals in 375 games across eight years for Bayern Munich, the type of high-level production and consistency Osimhen could replicate with age on his side.

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Bayern Munich has been a fertile ground for strikers in recent years, Mario Gomez before Lewandowski scored 113 goals in 174 games in four years at the club as did Mario Mandzukic with 48 goals in 88 games.

Namesakes Mario Gomez and Mario Mandzukic were both successful strikers for Bayern Munich
Namesakes Mario Gomez and Mario Mandzukic were both successful strikers for Bayern Munich

Even the aforementioned Choupo-Moting has scored 17 goals in 26 games this season which is already six more than his previous single-season tally in a 16-year professional career.

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has been in fine goalscoring form this season
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has been in fine goalscoring form this season

Imagine how much more Osimhen would score based on his current form in a team that is optimised for centre forwards to thrive, this is precisely why a Bayern Munich transfer is what is best for the Nigerian.

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