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Manchester United target Victor Osimhen has revealed that he came close to joining Arsenal at the age of 18.
The 24-year-old Napoli striker is now in the form of his life and has netted 25 goals in 29 games across competitions this term. He is one of the major reasons behind the Italian giants' 19-point lead at the top of the Serie A table, with 11 games left.
Osimhen has unsurprisingly garnered the attention of some of Europe's top clubs, including Manchester United. He arrived in Europe in January 2017 when VfL Wolfsburg officially signed him from Ultimate Strikers FC Deba two days after his 19th birthday.
Osimhen could have joined Arsenal during that time and even held talks with the-then Gunners boss Arsene Wenger. He said in a recent interview (h/t @CentreGoals on Twitter):
"I spoke with Arsene Wenger and he wanted me to come to Arsenal but it was not the best option at the time."
The Nigerian forward could be referring to a potential lack of playing time at the Emirates. Arsenal had Olivier Giroud, Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck, and Lucas Perez as their four main options at centre-forward during the 2016-17 season.
Osimhen played 16 times across competitions without scoring for Die Wolfe before permanently leaving the club for RSC Charleroi in the summer of 2019. He signed with LOSC Lille Metropole the following year but left after just one campaign to join Napoli for a fee of €70 million.
Since then, the Nigerian has registered 53 goals and 14 assists in 91 games across competitions for Gli Azzurri. He has now been linked with a move to Manchester United, who are looking to sign a new centre-forward this summer.
The Red Devils have also been linked with moves for Olympique Lyonnais' Moussa Dembele and Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane.
Manchester United striker says Anthony Martial is injury-prone
Manchester United signed Wout Weghorst on a six-month loan deal from Burnley in January following Cristiano Ronaldo's unceremonious exit in November.
Anthony Martial offered little up front with his incessant injury issues which have restricted him to just 461 Premier League minutes this season.
Shedding light on the conversation he had with manager Erik ten Hag upon joining United, Weghorst told the Mirror (h/t GOAL):
"All Ten Hag said was that he needed a striker who could fit into his way of playing. He certainly did not paint the picture as it is now. Anthony Martial was his striker and he was doing fine – but he is injury-prone and the manager wanted all positions double-staffed."
The 30-year-old has two goals and as many assists in 18 games across competitions for Manchester United this season.
