Osimhen’s footballing future has always been a hot topic for discussion. But after his recent fallout with Napoli that almost involved legal action, pundits are already anticipating a move in the coming year for the striker, whose contract expires in 2025.
The question now is – where will Victor Osimhen go next? PSG, Chelsea, Man Utd, and several other top European clubs are lining up to swoop the 25-year player, but it’s Barcelona that may end up signing Osimhen in what could be an unexpected move.
But one thing is clear. Osimhen, who outperformed everyone’s expectations at Napoli, will want to do it again in his next club. And punters who realise this are already searching for the best bookmakers to bet on the prolific striker. One betting website that immediately comes to mind is Betano, with its huge variety of unique player betting markets, including Total Shots, Shots on target, Player to Score In Both Halves, To Score and Get Booked, Player Goal Type, and much more. With the promo code Betano dedicated to Nigerian players, you can receive exclusive bonuses without limitation of player markets.
Barcelona Link and Other Transfer Talks
Among the clubs trying to sign Victor Osimhen, Chelsea seems to be leading the race. Although the Blues haven’t dropped any official bids yet, the club has been heavily linked with the Nigerian striker for years now.
Despite Chelsea shuffling between 7 different managers in the past decade, the club’s playing style has always featured a traditional penalty-box striker with the likes of Lukaku, Giroud, Diego Costa, and Tammy Abraham. So Chelsea, a club that has won both the Premier League and Champions League titles in recent years, seemed like a natural place for Osimhen to further his career.
On a personal level, Osimhen has been outspoken about his deep admiration for his idol and Chelsea legend, Didier Drogba. In turn, Drogba named Osimhen as his favourite active player, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.
Outside their admiration for each other, the pair have developed a close relationship and were recently spotted sharing a moment before and after Nigeria’s recent AFCON game against Cameroon.
“It’s an honour to play on the land of Didier Drogba, my idol,” Osimhen told Ivorian network NCI.
Chelsea fans quickly took to social media to ask the club legend to persuade Osimhen to join the Blues. Even fellow club Legend Mikel Obi recently joked about being Osimhen’s agent and claimed the Striker would love Chelsea.
The fans were hit with another jolt of excitement when Osimhem reacted to an X post from a user asking the striker to join Chelsea.
Rumour has it that The Blues are preparing a summer bid for the Nigerian striker and may be willing to trigger Osimhen’s £113 million ($143m) release clause. But despite Chelsea’s heavy link to the Nigerian Striker, Barcelona might be the ones to sign Victor Osimhen in the summer.
Osimhen Calls Barca His Favorite Club
“When I was young, my favourite team was Barça because of Samuel Eto’o. And it is still my favourite team”, Osimhen said.
Osimhen declaring that Barcelona remains his favourite club is a clear indication that the 25-year-old Nigerian Striker might be interested in playing for the Catalan club someday.
It’s also a potential nod to Barcelona who might be looking for a Lewandoski replacement to bolster their attack. If Osimhen was to make a move to Barcelona, now might be the right time as La Liga is once again becoming more exciting since it dropped after the Messi – Ronaldo era ended.
With Real Madrid’s lineup of superstars and the club’s recent acquisition of young talents like Bellingham, Arda Güler, and Endrick, Barcelona would need to boost their squad strength to match their eternal rivals. And a clinical player like Victor Osimhem may just be what Barcelona needs.
For Osimhen, Barcelona might present the perfect theatre for him to display his skills and surpass his idols Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto.
Prospects and Challenges For Osimhen At Barcelona
Now for the question on the mind of every Barca fan. Is Victor Osimhen a good signing for Barcelona?
Well, Osimhen is undoubtedly one of the best strikers in the world right now. But some Barcelona fans nostalgic about their dominant Tiki Taka era might worry that the Napoli striker isn’t the best man to fit their iconic playing style.
However, Barca won the League last season with Lewandoski leading from the front, proving that the Catalan Club can excel with a traditional striker. And with Osimhen’s exceptional athleticism and ball-striking ability, he may be the attacker Barcelona needs to convert their seemingly never-ending stream of chances into goals.
Excellent Player For a Great Club
Osimhen has always been an exceptional player. Nigeria called him up for the 2015 U17 World Cup where he led the Super Eagles to the Final against Mali. Osimhen’s Nigeria won the U17 World Cup in Chile while the teenage striker set the current record for most goals(10) in the tournament.
His excellent performance earned him a move to Wolfsburg, then Royal Charleroi, and then Lille FC where he flourished at a young age. Napoli soon placed a huge bet on the Striker when the club broke their record transfer fee to sign him. The wager quickly paid off as the Osimhen-led Napoli won the Serie A trophy after 33 years. And in just four seasons, Osimhen is already Napoli’s 11th-highest goal scorer with the third-highest goal-per-game ratio, surpassing Maradona’s record.
If that didn’t impress Barcelona, Osimhen’s two goals against the Catalans in their recent Champions League Knockout game should do the job.
