Arsenal have the upper hand over Chelsea in the race to sign Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, according to journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.
The Gunners are in the market for a marquee centre-forward, and they have been tipped to sign RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko in recent days.
The club have also been credited with an interest in Osimhen, and Di Marzio claims that they could make an approach for him.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said that Osimhen has a very high salary and Chelsea have not made progress after meeting his representative.
He said: “I think so, even if it’s difficult to arrange a deal with his really high exit clause of €130m.
“Nobody wants to pay this amount, so Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis should ask for less money.”
“He has a very high salary and that’s why Chelsea didn’t go forward because after a meeting with his agent, they didn’t find an agreement with the salary.
“I think he will leave Napoli for less money than the clause.”
He added on Arsenal: “Benjamin Sesko is one of the top targets for Arsenal but also other clubs like AC Milan.
“Arsenal will go for a striker – even Victor Osimhen could be a target. Arsenal need a striker like that.
“I think Arsenal will be in for one of these important strikers this summer.”
In a separate update on his website, Di Marzio highlighted that Osimhen could also prefer a move to the Gunners in the next transfer window.
Arsenal should sign Sesko instead of Osimhen
Osimhen has previously admitted his dream of playing in the Premier League, and Arsenal are probably one of the clubs that can meet his weekly wage demands.
The Nigerian star currently earns a basic salary of £212,000 per week at Napoli. He could ask for around £250,000-£300,000 per week to join the Gunners.
With Champions League football, Arsenal should be able to meet his salary requirements, but his tendency to pick injuries is concerning.
Osimhen netted 17 goals from 2,474 minutes for Napoli last term, but he misseten10 games due to four separate injuries. He is currently out for four weeks with a fresh concern.
The club should focus on signing Sesko, who is an emerging star with huge potential.
The Slovenian ace netted 18 goals from 2,056 minutes for Leipzig last season. The young marksman has been injury-free in the last two seasons for club and country.
Sesko can be signed for a relatively low fee of £55m due to a release clause.
His salary is £58,000 per week, and the Gunners could easily persuade him to join them for around £120,000-£150,000 per week this summer.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Capology.com
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