Arsenal Eyes Victor Osimhen in Striker Search Amid High Costs

Arsenal are weighing up a bold move for Galatasaray star Victor Osimhen as they search for extra firepower up front, with Manchester United stepping away from the race due to the cost.

Mikel Arteta already has Viktor Gyokeres leading the line after last summer’s £64million outlay, but Arsenal’s recruitment team are still chasing a top-tier No 9. Their ideal signing is Julian Alvarez, who has informed Atletico Madrid he wants out in pursuit of major trophies such as the Champions League and individual honours like the Ballon d’Or.

There is a problem. Alvarez dreams of Barcelona. Atleti are also demanding a fee upwards of €200m (£171m) for the Argentine, a figure that drags the deal into fantasy territory for most clubs, Arsenal included. With that path blocked, the London side are being forced to scan the market again.

Osimhen is one of the names now firmly on the table.

The Nigerian has long spoken of his ambition to play in the Premier League, and, according to TEAMtalk, both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have held internal discussions over a potential swoop. United, by contrast, have cooled their long-standing interest, baulking at the overall package required to bring him in.

That shift from Old Trafford has cracked the door open for a north London battle. If either Arsenal or Spurs can find a way to satisfy Galatasaray and the player, it would be one of the standout deals of the window.

For now, though, it is only talk. No formal negotiations are said to be advanced, and there is significant work to do before Osimhen is anywhere near boarding a plane to England.

The numbers will be brutal. Some recent claims have floated a possible fee as low as €65m (£55.5m), but given Osimhen’s status as one of Europe’s elite centre-forwards, Galatasaray are expected to push for a figure closer to £100m. With three years still to run on his contract, the Turkish champions can afford to be stubborn.

Then come the wages. TEAMtalk report that Osimhen is seeking around £400,000 per week to make the jump to the Premier League, a demand that already helped derail a proposed move to Chelsea in 2024. Any club taking that on would be ripping up its existing pay structure or coming very close to it.

For Arsenal, that raises a strategic question. With Gyokeres already in place, does it really make sense to commit such a huge slice of the budget to another central striker? Sporting director Andrea Berta may ultimately decide his money is better spent out wide, giving Arteta a new left winger rather than duplicating resources through the middle.

That area has already caused frustration. The Gunners have seen targets Morgan Rogers and Vinicius Junior slip away this summer. They like Bradley Barcola, but Liverpool currently lead the chase for the Frenchman.

If those options continue to fall through, Arsenal will be forced to pivot again. Nico Williams, Kenan Yildiz and Iliman Ndiaye are all under consideration as alternative wide solutions.

So the dilemma is clear: stretch the wage bill and transfer budget to land Osimhen and reshape the attack around two heavyweight No 9s, or double down on the original plan and chase the elusive left winger who could tilt the title race.

North London’s next move will say everything about how bold Arsenal are prepared to be.