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Paris Saint-Germain are struggling to strike a deal with Napoli to sign striker Victor Osimhen this summer, with the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea keeping a keen eye on the situation.
The French club are in a strong position to sign the 25-year-old, but negotiations have begun and are not progressing as PSG had hoped.
Fabrizio Romano reports that PSG are refusing to meet Osimhen’s release clause, which stands at a huge €130m (£109.5m), and the Parisiens consider too much for the Nigeria international.
Napoli are happy to lower the price if PSG send a player in the opposite direction and reportedly asked for South Korean star Lee Kang-in to be included in a swap deal.
However, PSG have no intention of letting the 23-year-old they signed only last year from Mallorca leave and the suggestion was rejected.
Italian publication CalcioMercato states that the deal is ‘at risk’ as PSG came back with the idea of Carlos Soler and Nordi Mukiele being included in a deal, but Napoli were not interested.
While an agreement could still be reached, the two sides are at loggerheads and PSG are not desperate for the signing as they already have Goncalo Ramos and Randal Kolo Muani in their ranks.
Arsenal and Chelsea have long been linked with the prolific Napoli forward, who has scored 76 times in 133 appearances for the Italian side in all competitions, while Manchester United have also been credited with an interest but have already signed a forward this summer in Joshua Zirkzee.
The Blues reportedly dimmed their interest in the Nigerian earlier this summer, with a worry about his injury record and with his release clause considered too expensive.
Arsenal have also suggested they will not be spending as much as £109.5m on the forward.
There will be hope among all interested parties, though, that Napoli may end up accepting less than Osimhen’s huge release clause as they have made an agreement with the player that the will be sold this summer.
Manager Antonio Conte revealed that he will be keeping hold of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Frank Anguissa and Stanislav Lobotka during this transfer window, however, he could not say the same for Osimhen.
‘As far as Osimhen is concerned, just as I knew very well about the situation of Kvara, Di Lorenzo, Anguissa, Lobotka, on which I have placed an absolute veto,’ Conte said last month.
‘Having said that, I know what the situation is regarding Osimhen. I know that there are agreements, that it is a situation different from all the others. I can only assist.
‘He is a player of the highest level, exceptional, but I cannot enter into any discussion because it is part of previous agreements which have been clearly stated to me.’
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