Teams from the Saudi Pro League are reportedly expected to lead the chase for Napoli forward Victor Osimhen in 2024.
Heading into this season, the Nigeria international had already established himself as a legendary figure at the club having guided I Partenopei to the Serie A title in 2022-23.
His 26 goals from 32 appearances in the Italian top flight took him to 59 goals across three seasons at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, leading to Osimhen being heavily linked with other clubs in the summer.
However, the 24-year-old stayed put, partly due to no club meeting Napoli's valuation, but having less than two years remaining on his contract leaves him in a position where his long-term future will remain in doubt.
Nevertheless, Osimhen was seemingly pushed further towards the exit door earlier this week when two offensive TikTok videos were published by Napoli's social media team.
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While Osimhen still represented Napoli against Udinese on Wednesday night, scoring in a 4-1 victory, he has not received an apology that has been demanded from his representatives.
According to the Daily Mail, Saudi Arabian clubs will be at the front of the queue should a transfer race ensue in January or beyond.
Although meeting squad criteria may come into play with some clubs competing on the continent as well as in the top flight, attracting Osimhen to the league would represent another huge coup.
Clubs from the Middle East are also likely to have funds to meet any asking price set by Napoli, the indication in the past being that Osimhen would cost in excess of £100m.
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Despite his contract having 18 months left to run, as opposed to two years when that stance was made, Napoli may retain it to avoid losing a key player at the midway point of the campaign.
The report adds that Real Madrid and Chelsea will monitor any developments with the future of the former Lille man, who has netted four times in seven outings in 2023-24.
Los Blancos will be in the market for a new frontman next summer with Kylian Mbappe seemingly most likely to move to the Bernabeu on a free transfer at this stage.
Meanwhile, Chelsea will assess their options depending on a range of factors, including whether Nicolas Jackson and Armando Broja have shown enough in the final third up until the end of May.
Darren Plant
