Newcastle United are following Napoli striker Victor Osimhen for a summer transfer swoop, but he could cost more than €150m (£130m), according to journalist Ciro Venerato.
Do Newcastle need a new striker?
Club-record signing Alexander Isak has had a difficult first season at St. James' Park on the injury front, having been ruled out of 13 games due to hamstring issues. However, he has recently started to prove his worth.
The Sweden international has scored five goals in his last five Premier League games, beginning to display his quality at a crucial stage in the season, but Eddie Howe may have some concerns about his injury problems returning.
During his time with Real Sociedad, the 23-year-old suffered from hamstring and knee problems, also having the latter during a spell with Borussia Dortmund, meaning Howe may want to bring in some more competition at striker.
According to Venerato, Osimhen is being followed by Newcastle for a summer transfer swoop, although they are not the only side interested, with Chelsea and Bayern Munich also being named as potential suitors.
The journalist does not expect Napoli to sell their star striker for anything less than €150m (£130m), meaning the Magpies would likely have to break the Premier League transfer record if they were to win the race for his signature.
Venerato describes the Nigerian as the "most promising" young striker on the international stage, alongside Erling Haaland, so it is no real surprise Napoli will look to hold out for an astronomical fee.
Should Newcastle sign Victor Osimhen?
Purely based on ability, the Lagos-born marksman would be an excellent signing for Newcastle, given that he has scored an incredible 25 goals, as well as registering five assists, in just 29 games so far this season.
The "world class" forward is way out in front at the top of the Serie A goal-scoring charts, having averaged a goal every 91 minutes, ranking in the 99th percentile for non-penalty goals per 90 in the past year, when compared to his positional peers.
That said, because the Nigeria international is contracted until 2025, Napoli are able to hold potential suitors to ransom this summer, and £130m would be far too much to shell out on one player.
The Magpies already have Isak to lead the line, and they should instead look to invest in multiple areas of the squad, rather than spending a sizeable chunk of the budget on one player.
