By Betsefy
Napoli are reportedly open to allowing striker Victor Osimhen to join Manchester United on loan.
The Red Devils have been linked with a potential swoop for the 23-year-old, amid speculation over the future of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 37-year-old, who has not been a regular starter under head coach Erik ten Hag so far this season, is allegedly looking to leave Old Trafford and is keen to join a club competing in the Champions League.
According to Italian news outlet CDS, via the Manchester Evening News, Napoli are only prepared to let Osimhen join Man United on loan if there is an obligation to sign the striker for a €100m (£86.4m) next summer and if they can recruit Ronaldo on loan as part of the deal.
A recent report suggested that Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes held talks with Napoli over a proposed swap deal involving the Portugal international and 23-year-old Osimhen.
However, Osimhen’s agent Roberto Calenda insists that talks have not taken place between the two clubs over a swap deal involving his client.
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“No negotiations in progress, no swaps. Victor Osimhen is a Napoli player and wants to play the Champions League with Napoli after winning it on the pitch with pride together with the coach and his teammates,” Calenda said on Twitter.
Meanwhile, Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti has admitted that he would be interested to work with Ronaldo, although an imminent move for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is not in the pipeline at this stage.
“If you’re asking me if I’d like to work with Ronaldo, I tell you no coach would say no to that,” Spalletti told reporters. “However, if we go into those areas the journalists like to fill in for themselves, then as Osimhen’s agent said, there are no negotiations.
“Speaking to [president Aurelio] De Laurentiis, he told me that he received no offer, so let’s remain as realistic as possible here and take into consideration only things that could happen. There are only a few days left in the transfer window, it seems unlikely that could go through. There is nothing concrete at the moment.
“It wouldn’t be a swap, it would be two different signings, in that case. One of the two can turn a game by himself. But in any case, at the moment we should not consider things that won’t help us pick up three points in Florence.
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“Osimhen is the one who has to be the protagonist there. With a player like Osimhen, who is so talented, we know there is the permanent risk that some rich owner around the world will wake up in the morning and decide to buy him and that includes a club like Manchester United.”
While Ronaldo has less than 12 months remaining on his contract at Old Trafford, Osimhen is tied to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium until the summer of 2025.
Osimhen became the most expensive African player of all time when he joined Napoli from Lille in a deal worth around £70m in 2020.
The Nigeria international has suffered with injuries in both of his two seasons in Italy, but he has still managed to contribute with 30 goals and 10 assists in 66 appearances across all competitions.
Osimhen has since made a bright start to the 2022-23 campaign, scoring two goals and providing one assists in Napoli’s opening four Serie A matches.
