Serie A champions Napoli have identified Bayer 04 Leverkusen striker, Victor Boniface, as a potential replacement for Victor Osimhen who is tipped to leave at the end of the season.
Osimhen has been linked with a summer move away from Napoli, with Premier League clubs leading the chase for the Super Eagles striker who has a €130million release clause from his recent contract with Napoli.
According to reports, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are some of the big clubs interested in signing the former Lille star and Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis is willing to accept offers from any club that meets the 25-year-old €130m release clause.
Recent reports suggest that the 25-year-old Super Eagles striker has reportedly agreed personal terms with Chelsea, as the London club looks to secure his signature in the upcoming summer transfer window.
“Napoli will not give discounts to anyone and whoever wants it will have to invest an amount very close to the release clause,” as quoted by Area Napoli.
With the rising speculations on Osimhen’s future at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, the Parthenopeans have spotted Boniface to replace fellow compatriot in Serie A.
Boniface has made a significant impact in his first season at Leverkusen, scoring 16 goals with nine assists in 23 appearances across all competitions for the Bundesliga outfit.
His impressive performances have also been instrumental in Xabi Alonso’s team topping the Bundesliga table by 13 points.
According to Italian transfer expert Niccolò Ceccarini, Boniface is on the list of strikers on Napoli’s radar to replace Osimhen, should his release clause get triggered in the summer.
“David of Lille is one of them, but there are also high options on the list. There’s Santiago Gimenez of Feyenoord, who’s having an extraordinary season in Holland. He has scored 21 goals in Eredivisie and 4 assists, adding 2 goals in the Champions League and 1 in the Europa League,” Ceccarini said as quoted by Area Napoli.
“In addition to him, there is also Benjamin Sesko. Also in this case the evaluation is the same as Gimenez, Leverkusen’s Boniface. In the list, there is of course Zirkzee of Bologna but here the Italian competition is very strong.”
Boniface’s Leverkusen are just three wins away from winning their first-ever Bundesliga title and reports in Germany suggest that Die Schwarzroten are not willing to sell their top striker except a bid of around €55m comes in for the former Union Saint-Gilloise striker.
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