Arsenal, Chelsea 'to miss out on top striker target as PSG willing to trigger £112m release clause'

Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly moved ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea in the race to sign Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.

The Nigeria international racked up 26 goals in 32 top-flight appearances to lead his team to the 2022-23 Serie A title.

After ending their 33-year wait for the Scudetto in 33 years, Napoli have gone on to experience a tumultuous 2023-24 campaign.

With his team struggling to match the heights of last term, Osimhen has been unable to replicate his impressive scoring rate from Napoli's title-winning season.

Nevertheless, Osimhen has still managed to register 11 goals in 18 league matches, making him Napoli's top scorer despite missing a number of games due to injury and the Africa Cup of Nations.

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Osimhen signed a new contract in December to extend his deal until the summer of 2026, but his renewal had done little to dampen the speculation surrounding his future.

PSG, Arsenal and Chelsea are among those showing an interest in the Napoli forward, who supposedly has a €130m (£112m) release clause in his contract.

According to Il Corriere dello Sport, the French champions are currently leading Arsenal and Chelsea in the race to secure Osimhen's signature.

In addition to the two London clubs, Manchester United are believed to be keeping tabs on Osimhen's transfer situation.

However, PSG are edging closer to the striker's significant release clause, making them the current favourites to prise him away from the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

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Potential Mbappe replacement

PSG are currently searching for attacking reinforcements, with Kylian Mbappe set to leave the club when his contract expires this summer.

Mbappe is unwilling to sign a new contract with the French giants and is widely expected to join Real Madrid on a free transfer.

While Osimhen may not be a direct replacement for Mbappe, his signing would go some way to filling the void that will be left by the France international.

PSG recruited two centre-forwards last summer, but Randal Kolo Muani and Goncalo Ramos have struggled to showcase the sort of form that they showed at Eintracht Frankfurt and Benfica respectively.

Kolo Muani has registered nine goals in 33 matches, while Ramos has scored 10 goals in 31 appearances in all competitions.