Arsenal transfer target Victor Osimhen signs Napoli contract extension

Arsenal transfer target Victor Osimhen has signed a contract extension with Napoli which will likely ensure he remains with the Serie A club until the summer.

The Gunners have been linked with several strikers ahead of the January transfer window as they go in search of their first Premier League title in over 20 years.

Osimhen, along with the likes of Dusan Vlahovic, Ivan Toney, and Benjamin Sesko, are all reported targets for Arsenal this winter.

Arsenal transfer target Victor Osimhen signs Napoli contract extension

After enduring two productive but injury-hit campaigns in 2020/21 and 2021/22, Osimhen featured in 32 of Napoli's Serie A fixtures last season and scored 26 times to top the scoring charts. His goals fired Napoli to their first Scudetto since 1990, and the Nigerian was recently crowned African Footballer of the Year.

Osimhen's athletic and prolific profile renders him an intriguing option for any member of Europe's elite. The former Lille hitman rejected a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia in the summer, and several clubs are set to pursue the striker in 2024 after being priced out of a deal previously.

However, Osimhen's recently signed contract extension means he almost certainly won't be on the move in January. The 24-year-old penned a new deal in Naples until 2026, but a £112m release clause has been inserted into his contract.

Thus, the stage has been set for a hot pursuit next summer and if Arsenal opt against signing a frontman in January, they could rival the likes of Chelsea for Osimhen. The previously robust Napoli are now resigned to losing their star forward and are already on the hunt for a replacement.

Given the context of the current striker market, £112m for a talent as explosive and destructive as Osimhen certainly isn't an obscene overpay. This is a forward capable of galvanising any side and taking them to the next level.