Lille receive shock £75m bid for Liverpool, Man Utd target Osimhen

Osimhen has attracted interest throughout Europe after scoring 18 goals in 38 appearances during his breakthrough season in France. The 21-year-old sat joint-fourth in the Ligue Un goalscoring charts, level with Neymar, before the season was curtailed due to the global pandemic.

 

Osimhen had impressed enough to be named as a ‘priority’ target for Man Utd this summer, while Inter Milan are among the continental clubs keeping a watchful eye on developments. Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham have all also been linked but are unlikely to have been behind the reported £75m bid Lille have received for the Nigerian. French outlet Telefoot suggest an unnamed side has completely ignored the fact that literally no-one has any money by bidding for Osimhen’s services.

Liverpool are almost certain not to be the club in question after it emerged that they were planning for a second successive summer of no major signings due to the current financial situation. The Reds had hoped to pursue Timo Werner and Houssem Aouar of Leipzig and Lyon respectively, but are now ‘budgeting for the loss of income’ and ‘now look virtually certain’ to spend nothing.

United can also perhaps be ruled out due to Ed Woodward’s recent comments concerning the transfer window. Odion Ighalo believes his compatriot is “the future of Nigerian football” who “has that lion’s heart”. “I talk to Osimhen, he’s a very nice boy, young, he’s a good guy". We talk, not almost every day, but almost every time I advise him.

He’s the future, he’s going to do so well in football. I always advise him to keep calm, keep working hard and the guy is going to be a celebrity, you know. “I love him, I just want him to keep working hard the way he’s doing, he’s going to break so many records in Europe and Nigeria.”