BBC Pidgin of Friday, 17 March 2023

Source: BBC

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen Premier League move fit happun?

Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen

Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen dey enta Europe top clubs eyes sake of im ogbonge performance dem dis season for im club Napoli.

Osimhen say na im dream to play for Premier League - so e fit happun but wetin im go bring to di league?

Napoli na one of di surprise packages of dis season – and dey18 points clear for di top of Serie A as well qualifying for di Champions League quarter-finals.

Nigeria striker Osimhen, wey be 24 years, na Serie A top scorer wit 19 goals in 22 games, five more than Inter Milan Lautaro Martinez.

Only Manchester City Erling Haaland and Tottenham Harry Kane don score more goals for Europe top five leagues than Osimhen.

Di Nigerian na proper number nine, im height na 6ft 1in, e get pace and im finishing dey very good.

So what next now for a man wey bin dey idolise Chelsea legend Didier Drogba and reject di chance to join Arsenal?

Osimhen dey come Premier League?

, don play for Wolfsburg, Charleroi and Lille before im join Napoli for 2020, im recently make headlines when im say: "I dey work so hard to make sure say I achieve my dream of playing in di Premier League some day.

"Na process and I just wan keep on dis momentum and continue to do well.

"A lot of pipo worldwide consider di Premier League as di best and di strongest league but now I dey one of di best leagues for di world di Italian Serie A."

A switch to England no go dey simple though, Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis na big man and difficult negotiator.

James Horncastle, one Italian football expert, tok for BBC Radio 5 Live Football Daily podcast say Osimhen go cost more than 100m euros (£89m) and "probably dey closer to" 150m euros (£133m).

Only Paris St-Germain duo Neymar and Kylian Mbappe don move for fees of £133m or higher.

Di current British transfer record na Chelsea £107m signing of Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez for January.

Horncastle add" Di one thing to counter against for dis matter na say negotiations wit Napoli no dey easy.

"Na di reason why Kalidou Koulibaly only join Chelsea for im 30s when dem bin link am to Premier League for five years."

Chelsea finally sign Senegal defender Koulibaly, 31, from Napoli last summer for £35m – afta dem bin try to sign am for 2016.

Talking about Napoli all-time top scorer, Horncastle continue: "Chelsea bin dey prepared to sign Dries Mertens when Frank Lampard be dia manager [for 2020] and instead im only leave [last summer to Galatasaray] when Napoli say dem no go give am a new deal.

"E go be di same tin with Victor Osimhen. I'm sure many clubs go get in touch wit di president and after a month of negotiation dem go reason am if dis really make sense? Na wetin De Laurentiis dey do always ' great strength."

Horncastle add: "Im bin no dey suggest say a Premier League move fit happun now, na more of something im dey work on and e go hapun if e happun."

Who want Osimhen?

Na only few clubs fit possibly afford Osimhen, wey don score 15 goals in 22 games for Nigeria.

"I no feel say many pipo dey surprised about im point of view especially if you consider di perception of di Premier League as di best for di world, wia clubs dey make di most money – aside PSG, Real Madrid or Barcelona to some extent," Horncastle tok.

Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool, PSG and Real Madrid na just some of di teams wey dey linked to di striker recently. Osimhen na regular for BBC gossip column.

Di Blues fit be a possible destination, Graham Potter side don spend £289m on signings players for January alone and dem still need a proper striker.

None of Chelsea players don hit double figures yet and dia only fit striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang don score three goals and dem no include for dia Champions League squad.

On top of that, Osimhen don continually speak about im love for Blues icon in fellow African striker Drogba.

"I take Drogba as my role model while I bin dey grow up and dat na im guiding light," E say in 2021. "I bin dey Watch am a lot and di kind of mentality im get really help me a lot to get to where I dey today."

Manchester United, too, dey desperate for a striker - wit Cristiano Ronaldo absence, Wout Weghorst dey on loan and Anthony Martial get injury problems.

Osimhen no be one-season wonder

Osimhen worldwide profile don rise wella dis season wit Napoli form for Europe and home - but him don dey impress for several years now.

For one, when Napoli sign am from Lille almost three years ago dem pay an initial £65m, a record fee for African player then.

Osimhen agree to move to Europe to join German side Wolfsburg for 2016, e sign a professional deal di following year afta im 18th birthday.

"Arsenal bin want am and I feel honoured to dey invited. But personally I feel Wolfsburg na ladder for me to reach my professional goals," e tell BBC Sport dat time.

Aft aim fail to score in 16 games for Wolfsburg e go on trial wit several Belgian clubs but Club Bruges and Zulte Waregem no pick am, so im go on loan to Charleroi.

E score 20 goals dia and dem name am Charleroi player of di year. Di Belgian club activate a clause to make di deal permanent for May 2019.

Wolfsburg regret dat clause because Charleroi pay 3.5m euros for am, and two months later sell am to Lille for 12.5m euros.

Im score18 goals for one season for France, including one for Champions League against Chelsea, and dem name am Lille player of di year.

Na from di aim make im 70m euros move to Napoli and im don score 49 goals in 89 games for di Italian side.

But one warning to any potential suitor - injuries dey follow Osimhen around and im still neva play 40 games in a season.

Im get large spells out injured in both seasons for Germany and di problems follow am for Italy. Him don miss 14, nine and four (so far) Serie A games respectively for im three seasons through different injuries.