Victor Osimhen on course to break 14-year Zlatan Ibrahimovic record

Napoli’s Victor Osimhen is on course to become the first player to win the Italian Serie A title and the top goalscorer award since Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2009, according to Il Mattino.

Osimhen has been at the forefront of Napoli’s Scudetto push this season, with the Gli Azzurri 18 points ahead of the chasing pack at the top of the table.

The 24-year-old leads the Serie A goalscoring chart with 19 goals, six ahead of Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez, and is on course to finish as the league’s top scorer.

Only seven players, including Michel Platini, Marco Van Basten, Gianluca Vialli and David Trezeguet, have won the top scorer award and the Scudetto in the same season. 

Ibrahimovic was the last player to win both accolades. The Swedish striker bagged 25 goals in the 2008/2009 campaign as Jose Mourinho’s Inter raced to the Serie A title.

The Scudetto is Napoli’s to lose with just 14 games to play, and Osimhen could also break Ibrahimovic’s scoring record on his way to bagging the dual accolade.

The last Napoli striker to come close to that achievement was Gonzalo Higuain, who notched 36 league goals in the 2015/2016 campaign. But the Gli Azzurri were pipped to the league title by Juventus. 

The Onus now falls on Osimhen to continue his formidable goalscoring form to end the 14-year drought since the Scudetto winners had the league’s top scorer in their team.

Osimhen’s form could also pose problems for Napoli next summer, with the striker now firmly on the radar of several European heavy spenders looking to snap him up.

Manchester United are at the forefront for the Nigerian International’s signature, with Newcastle United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid also in the mix.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis claims keeping the striker at the club would not be difficult, but also refused to rule out a sale, especially if a big offer comes in.