Arsenal FC expert Charles Watts has responded to fresh transfer rumours and speculation about Victor Osimhen as the Napoli striker made his debut for loan club Galatasaray at the weekend.
The Nigeria international has been the subject of interest from Arsenal in the past, though Watts, speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing column, explained that he’s not aware of any concrete interest from the Gunners since 2022.
Osimhen was linked with numerous big clubs throughout the summer and it was a bit of a surprise in the end when he went to Galatasaray instead of the likes of Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.
It will be interesting to see what happens with Osimhen next as it’s hard to imagine him spending that long in Turkey, though Watts isn’t sure we’ll see Arsenal being among the main clubs in the mix to activate any break clause in his current contract.
Osimhen transfer not a priority for Arsenal
While Osimhen is clearly a top player, Watts expects Arsenal might be happy to stick with Kai Havertz as their first choice striker, while the north London giants might instead focus on a different kind of profile of attacking player in upcoming transfer windows.
“I saw Victor Osimhen marked his Galatasaray debut with a goal at the weekend. Inevitably, some Arsenal fans were quick to pounce on that and use it as a reason why the club should look to bring him in during the January window,” Watts said.
“I don’t know the exact ins and outs of it, but it appears he does have a break clause in his loan agreement that could see another club land him in January for a lower fee than his original release clause from Napoli.
“I just don’t really see it happening though in terms of Arsenal.
“As I’ve said before, I’ve never really been told about any Arsenal interest in Osimhen since the summer of 2022, when they ended up moving for Gabriel Jesus instead.
“So I would be surprised if they go for him in January. I think, if and when they do go for another striker, it might be a slightly different profile to the Nigeria international.
“And anyway, right now they are very happy with what Kai Havertz is offering them as the central striker.”
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