Manchester United 'will not meet Napoli's asking price for Victor Osimhen'

Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing Victor Osimhen next year but are not prepared to meet Napoli's huge asking price, which is believed to be in the region of €100m (£86m).

The Red Devils recently terminated Cristiano Ronaldo's contract at Old Trafford due to the explosive interview that the 37-year-old gave to Piers Morgan on TalkTV.

Ronaldo's exit has left Man United short of options at centre-forward, and the club are believed to be considering moving for a new attacker in January, with head coach Erik ten Hag concerned by his lack of options heading into the second half of the campaign.

Barcelona's Memphis Depay and PSV Eindhoven's Cody Gakpo continue to be linked with the Red Devils, while Osimhen is also thought to be a long-term target for the club.

The 23-year-old has scored 38 goals and registered 12 assists in 76 appearances for Napoli since joining the Italian giants from Lille in September 2020.

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Osimhen has been in strong form for the Italian giants this term, meanwhile, scoring 10 goals and registering three assists in 14 appearances in all competitions.

The Nigeria international is thought to have been identified as a leading target for the 20-time English champions, who are expected to spend big on a new centre-forward in 2023.

However, according to Sky Deutschland, Man United have made it clear that they are not prepared to meet Napoli's €100m (£86m) asking price.

German journalist Florian Plettenberg claims that the English side are attracted by Osimhen's 'speed and physicality', and they believe that he is ready to move to the Premier League.

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According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Napoli have made it clear that the Nigerian will not be allowed to leave the club in the middle of the campaign.

"Napoli insist they won't sell Osimhen or any other player in January. The price tag in the summer was €120m (£103.1m) and nothing happened, now they're doing great in Serie A and Champions League so there are no plans to sell him in January at all," Romano wrote on his column for Caught Offside.

As a result, Man United would have to be prepared to wait until next summer to stand a chance of bringing in the forward, who has a contract in Naples until June 2025.

Gli Azzurri have advanced to the last-16 stage of the Champions League, with the Italian outfit preparing to take on German side Eintracht Frankfurt in the first knockout round.

Meanwhile, Luciano Spalletti's side are eight points clear at the top of the Serie A table, with the 63-year-old bidding to lead the club to their first Italian top-flight title since 1990.