Osimhen refuses to rule out Napoli departure amid Man Utd, Chelsea links

By Sports Desk February 21, 2023

Reported Manchester United and Chelsea target Victor Osimhen has refused to rule out a move in the next transfer window, though the Napoli star is focused on delivering silverware before then.

Osimhen has hit 18 goals to help Napoli build a 15-point advantage at the Serie A summit – only Manchester City's Erling Haaland (26) has outscored him in Europe's top five leagues this term.

The Nigeria international scored in a seventh consecutive league game in Napoli's 3-0 thrashing of Sassuolo last week, and his electrifying form has reportedly attracted Premier League suitors. 

United and Chelsea have both been credited with an interest in Osimhen, who Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis insists is not for sale.

While helping the Partenopei clinch the Scudetto for the first time since the Diego Maradona era is his current focus, the striker has left the door ajar for a move at the end of the campaign.

"When you are doing so well, top clubs around the world are watching, mostly in the top five leagues," Osimhen told ESPN.

"To be able to be attract interest from these top clubs shows that I am doing great, and it gives me the motivation to do even more for myself and my team.

"But I am focused on Napoli right now and they have the final say. I just want to help my team to win matches and win trophies.

"At the end of the season, we will see what is going to happen, but that is not up to me. It is for the club to decide."

Napoli travel to Eintracht Frankfurt for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday, having top-scored in the competition's group stage with 20 goals – though only one of those came from Osimhen.

Related items

  • St. Louis City v Chicago Fire: Carnell warns against complacency amid unbeaten run St. Louis City v Chicago Fire: Carnell warns against complacency amid unbeaten run

    Bradley Carnell has warned his St. Louis City side they can't get comfortable despite a four-game unbeaten run.

    Carnell's men last lost in March, since winning one and drawing three to leave St. Louis ninth in the Western Conference, just three points behind sixth-placed Austin FC.

    As his team prepares to host the Chicago Fire this weekend, Carnell has cautioned his players not to become complacent.

    "We can speak so many nice positives, especially with our three clean sheets in four and there are so many good moments," Carnell said.

    "But I also don't want to get comfortable with that. I don't want to be used to getting draws. I don't want to hype up getting ties."

    Carnell's side will look to extend their unbeaten run against a Fire team winless in four, currently 13th in the East after a poor start.

    Chicago head coach Frank Klopas hopes his team don't lose faith, telling reporters: "Our focus is to continue to stay positive with the group.

    "It's a process of evaluating and looking at how we can improve as a team, and then making sure once we analyse the games we look at certain things we did well and our mistakes to look to improve.

    "It's a long season. I feel the team has been playing well, but we have to find a way to get points."

    PLAYERS TO WATCH

    St. Louis City – Joao Klauss

    No St. Louis player has managed more MLS goal contributions than Klauss so far this term, scoring three and adding an assist. He will likely lead the line on Saturday and will hope to score the goals that start turning draws into wins.

    Chicago Fire – Brian Gutierrez

    Despite his team's poor collective start, 20-year-old midfielder Gutierrez has performed well and leads his team with three MLS goals so far this season, while also registering an assist. He will look to build on that and try to turn his side's fortunes around, starting this Saturday.

    MATCH PREDICTION – ST. LOUIS WIN

    St. Louis have kept clean sheets in three of their last four matches, including in the scoreless draw with the Houston Dynamo last time out. St. Louis had managed just two clean sheets in their previous 23 matches in all competitions dating back to last July.

    The Fire, meanwhile, have failed to score in four straight matches. This is the fifth time Chicago have gone four or more consecutive league matches without scoring since the start of the 2021 season.

    Six of St. Louis City's last eight matches have ended in draws, but home advantage should be enough to see off a struggling Chicago team on Saturday.

    OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

    St. Louis: 55.5%

    Chicago: 19%

    Draw: 25.5%

  • Al-Akhdoud 2-3 Al-Nassr: Brozovic stunner delays Al-Hilal coronation Al-Akhdoud 2-3 Al-Nassr: Brozovic stunner delays Al-Hilal coronation

    Marcelo Brozovic scored twice – including a fine half-volley in second-half stoppage time – as Al-Nassr beat Al-Akhdoud 3-2 to delay Al-Hilal's Saudi Pro League title coronation on Thursday.

    Former Inter midfielder Brozovic fired in a seventh-minute opener from outside the area before Cristiano Ronaldo tapped into an empty net to double the visitors' lead.

    Sadio Mane struck the woodwork early in the second half and Al-Nassr relinquished control of the game from there, with goals from Hassan Al Habib and Saviour Godwin making it 2-2.

    However, Brozovic blasted a bouncing ball home following a goalmouth scramble in the first of seven minutes of stoppage time to hand Al-Nassr a fifth straight win and keep them within nine points of Al-Hilal, with three games still to play.

    They have only delayed the inevitable though as the leaders – who have only dropped four points all season – need just one more point to secure their crown ahead of facing Al-Hazm on Saturday.  

    Data Debrief: Brozovic upstages Ronaldo

    While it's usually Ronaldo writing the headlines for Al-Nassr, he was upstaged by Brozovic on Thursday as the Croatian found the net with both of his shots, also leading all players on the pitch for final-third passes (19) and completing 90.1 per cent of his passes overall (81/95). 

  • LA Galaxy v Real Salt Lake: Vanney encouraged ahead of top-of-the-table tussle LA Galaxy v Real Salt Lake: Vanney encouraged ahead of top-of-the-table tussle

    Greg Vanney believes the LA Galaxy are in a good spot both physically and mentally ahead of Saturday's clash with fellow Western Conference high-fliers Real Salt Lake.

    The Galaxy sit third in the West through 11 matches of the season, though they have failed to win back-to-back road games against Austin FC (0-2) and the Seattle Sounders (0-0).

    They are, however, unbeaten in all four of their home league games this term (two wins, two draws), and Vanney is looking forward to returning to Dignity Health Sports Park next time out.

    "Physically, first and foremost, we're in a pretty good spot. We have a few guys coming back from issues that were pretty minor," Vanney said.

    "It's good. We've been able to stay in that space for a while and now we're going into a busy part of the schedule we can make some choices about how we want to attack the week.

    "Where are we mentally? We're good. It's nice to be home, it's a challenge to play a lot of games on the road early doors.

    "We like the spot we're in and we want to keep building, but we've got to get through this tough stretch of games."

    Real Salt Lake are top of the Western standings with 21 points, only losing twice in 11 league games this year.

    However, they were dumped out of the U.S. Open Cup by New Mexico United on Wednesday, Pablo Mastroeni shuffling his pack for a 4-2 road loss.

    "We completely tuned out," Mastroeni said after watching his team go 2-0 down within 20 minutes.

    "The emotion is like, 'poor me,' and when you operate from that space, you can never think reasonably."

    PLAYERS TO WATCH

    LA Galaxy – Gabriel Pec

    The Galaxy (12 shots) and Seattle (19) combined for 31 shots in their scoreless draw last time out.

    Pec – who has two goals in 10 league appearances since joining the Galaxy in the offseason – recorded six of his team's attempts, but only hit the target once. He will be targeting an improvement here.

    Real Salt Lake – Cristian Arango 

    Arango is the first Real Salt Lake player to contribute to at least one goal in five straight regular-season away matches, recording four goals and five assists during his streak.

    He is just the second player since the start of last season to record a goal contribution in five straight MLS away matches, after the Columbus Crew's Cucho Hernandez.

    MATCH PREDICTION – LA GALAXY WIN

    The Galaxy have lost only one of their last 13 home matches against Real Salt Lake (nine wins, three draws) including going unbeaten through the last seven in a row. 

    The last two meetings in Carson have both ended level, though, after the Galaxy won nine of the previous 11 (one draw, one defeat).

    However, Vanney's team have only lost one of their last 14 regular-season home matches dating back to last June, winning six and drawing six while averaging 2.2 goals per game throughout this run.

    OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

    LA Galaxy – 44.8%

    Real Salt Lake – 27.8%

    Draw – 27.4%

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.