Arsenal Weighing Move for Victor Osimhen Amid Transfer Talks

Arsenal are weighing up a move for Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen as their search for a new centre-forward gathers pace – with Manchester United stepping away from the race.

Mikel Arteta’s side splashed £64million on Viktor Gyokeres last summer, but the feeling inside the club is that one more elite No 9 could turn them from contenders into serial winners. Their ideal signing is clear: Julian Alvarez.

The Argentine has informed Atletico Madrid he wants out, chasing the kind of stage where Champions League titles and Ballon d’Or debates become his reality. Arsenal love the profile, the work rate, the versatility. There is one problem. Alvarez has his heart set on Barcelona.

That preference, combined with Atleti’s eye-watering valuation of upwards of €200m (£171m), has forced Arsenal to look elsewhere. The dream is expensive. The market is unforgiving. So attention is shifting.

Osimhen, long vocal about his ambition to play in the Premier League, has emerged as a serious alternative route.

Arsenal and Spurs circle as United step back

According to TEAMtalk, both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have been holding internal discussions over a potential move for the Nigerian striker. These are early-stage conversations, not yet negotiations, but they are serious enough to frame the next few weeks.

Manchester United, who have tracked Osimhen for years, have effectively stepped aside. The report states they have cooled their interest, put off by the overall cost of any deal. That retreat has cleared a path for a London battle.

For either Arsenal or Spurs, landing Osimhen would be a statement – the kind of signing that shifts a club’s perception overnight.

Nothing is close. No bid, no agreement, no medical in the diary. There is still “plenty of work to be done” before Osimhen pulls on a shirt in north London. But the door is ajar.

The price of an elite No 9

Recent claims have suggested Osimhen might be available for as little as €65m (£55.5m). On the face of it, that would be a bargain for a player widely viewed as one of the top centre-forwards in Europe.

Galatasaray, though, are under no pressure to sell on the cheap. Osimhen is under contract for another three years, and the Turkish champions are expected to push for a fee far closer to £100m. With that security, they can afford to be stubborn.

The transfer fee is only half the equation.

TEAMtalk’s report highlights Osimhen’s wage demands as a major stumbling block. He is believed to want around £400,000 per week to make the jump to the Premier League – a figure that already helped derail his proposed switch to Chelsea in 2024.

For Arsenal, who have already invested heavily in Gyokeres, that level of salary would force some tough internal questions. For Spurs, still reshaping their wage structure post-Harry Kane, it would be just as disruptive.

Arsenal’s attacking puzzle

There is also the wider squad picture to consider. With Gyokeres already leading the line, some voices around the Emirates argue that sporting director Andrea Berta should prioritise a left winger rather than another centre-forward.

That area has already brought frustration this summer. Arsenal have missed out on Morgan Rogers and Vinicius Junior, both viewed as potential long-term solutions on the flank.

They like Bradley Barcola, whose profile fits Arteta’s system, but Liverpool currently sit in pole position for the Frenchman. If that pursuit stalls, Arsenal will need to pivot quickly.

Nico Williams, Kenan Yildiz and Iliman Ndiaye are all on the radar as alternative wide options. Each would change the texture of Arsenal’s attack in a different way; none would cost Osimhen-level wages.

So the debate inside Arsenal is clear. Do they push their budget and wage structure to the limit for one of Europe’s most feared No 9s, even with Gyokeres already in place? Or do they spread the resources, land a top winger, and trust the current striker to deliver?

Tottenham, lurking with intent and freed from the same level of recent centre-forward investment, may see this as their moment to strike.

If Galatasaray hold firm on the fee and Osimhen holds firm on his salary, one club will eventually blink. The question is whether that club is prepared to reshape its entire attack – and its wage bill – to bring him in.