Arsenal have allegedly been spotted scouting £85m striker Victor Osimhen and it could clear a path for West Ham over Darwin Nunez.
Signing a quality striker is top of the agenda for both West Ham and Arsenal this summer.
David Moyes has Michail Antonio as West Ham’s only serious senior striker option while Mikel Arteta has the same over reliance when it comes to Alexandre Lacazette.
West Ham tried but failed to sign Benfica striker Darwin Nunez in the January window.
Transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano confirmed West Ham’s big bid for Nunez was real.
Sure enough since then the likes of Arsenal have also been linked with the powerful Uruguayan forward.
The Evening Standard recently claimed that Moyes’s number one priority is to sign Nunez in the summer.
But a report last week from Portuguese newspaper Record claimed that Arsenal have now leapfrogged West Ham in the race to sign the hitman.
Arsenal and West Ham fans will be equally interested then in new reports emerging from Italy this weekend.
Because Arsenal have been spotted scouting Serie A striker Victor Osimhen and it could clear a path for West Ham over Nunez.
Football Italia claims Arsenal have been spotted extensively scouting Napoli striker Victor Osimhen with an eye on a huge summer bid.
The 23-year-old Nigerian has netted 11 times in 20 Serie A appearances during an injury hit campaign.
And Osimhen is a serious player and athletic specimen who seems ideally suited to the Premier League.
Valued at around £85m, he is well out of West Ham’s price range but Football Italia say Arsenal are very keen.
“Arsenal are keeping a close eye on Osimhen ahead of the summer transfer window, with the North London side desperate for attacking reinforcements,” Football Italia reports.
“They face a slight uphill battle trying to pry him away from Napoli, however, as president Aurelio De Laurentiis is not an easy man to negotiate with.
“Napoli paid Lille €75m (£63m) for Osimhen back in September 2020, so it’s unlikely that they’d be willing to let him leave for anything less than €100m (£85m), which seems like a fairly low estimate considering that his current contract expires in 2025.”
News of Arsenal’s reported interest in Osimhen is a massive boost for Moyes as it could clear a path for West Ham in their hopes of signing Nunez.
If it is a straight fight between West Ham and Arsenal for Nunez then there is likely to only be one winner.
Much may depend on who wins the race for a Champions League spot – although both West Ham and Arsenal could end up at Europe’s top table if the Gunners finish fourth and the Hammers win the Europa League.
Arsenal pay bigger wages and are undeniably a bigger club than West Ham so it would be tough for Moyes to win that particular fight.
So if Arsenal are out of the picture pursuing a move for Osimhen then that can only be great news for West Ham.