Arsenal send message to Napoli over Victor Osimhen transfer

Arsenal have made it clear to Napoli that they will not meet Victor Osimhen’s €130 million (£110.8m) release clause.

Mikel Arteta is looking to add a new striker to his squad after narrowly missing out on the Premier League title this season.

It’s understood that RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, who scored 14 goals in the Bundesliga this season, is one of the top candidates on Arsenal’s shortlist and is available due to a €65m (£55.2m) release clause.

However, Sky Sports Italy report that while Arsenal hold Osimhen in high regard, they are unwilling to push ahead with a deal due to the high costs involved.

Napoli have been open to selling Osimhen for several months but the club’s president, Aurelio de Laurentiis, is holding out for a team to trigger the Nigeria international’s €130m (£110.8m) clause.

However, Napoli have received no concrete proposals which come near that figure, and while Saudi Pro League clubs could afford such a high fee, Osimhen is keen on remaining in Europe.

Napoli could now decide to lower Osimhen’s asking price, especially as they need the 25-year-old’s transfer fee to fund their new signings this summer.

The Serie A club are keen to reunited their new head coach Antonio Conte with Romelu Lukaku, who returns to Chelsea following a season on loan at Roma.

However, Chelsea are insisting that Lukaku’s £38m release clause is met and the club believe that Osimhen would need to depart Napoli before the Italian side could move for the Belgian.

Chelsea have also previously shown strong interest in Osimhen but have ruled themselves out of the running to sign the striker this summer due to his high transfer fee and concerns over his injury record.