Newcastle United to be offered goalscoring sensation with £113m clause

Newcastle United are set to be offered the chance to sign Victor Osimhen next summer.

The Magpies are on a list of clubs in the Premier League that Osimhen's representatives feel may be of interest next summer. Osimhen was scouted by Newcastle previously during his time at Lille before he made a £64.3million move to Napoli.

The explosive striker scored a glut of goals for Napoli with 65 Serie A goals to his name and won the title with the famous former club of Diego Maradona. However, the arrival of Antonio Conte, and a change in playing style, saw Osimhen transfer listed.

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It looked like he was on his way to either Chelsea or Al-Ahli but the moves broke down when Napoli suddenly changed their asking price. Napoli have been protected by a £113m release clause but it is believed they may accept a lower price if the deal suits them.

Incredibly, Osimhen was left with no club in any of the top Euro leagues and ended up on loan at Galatasaray with the Turkish Lig offering him a lifeline with most other transfer windows closed. The Turkish top-flight leaders would love him to stay but can't afford to pay a permanent fee.

Osimhen knew Premier League scouts would be watching in on him this week in the Europa League and bagged twice to sink Tottenham Hotspur in a 3-2 win. The 25-year-old though will try his luck this summer again for a Premier League club.

The big hitch for Newcastle could be Osimhen's wages with the striker picking up over £200,000 per week during his Napoli days. That is believed to have dropped to around £110,000 per week at Galatasaray but he is highly likely to leave Turkey after his loan deal.

The other big striker deal that is set to make headlines next summer is that of Jonathan David. As reported by Chronicle Live on October 26 the Canada international is available on a free transfer but his agent would command a hefty fee, thought to be as high as £10m.

David took his tally to 15 for the season with a goal against Juventus in the Champions League in midweek and was watched by a host of top-flight scouts in France. His wages may come in a little lighter than Osimhen and his arrival would spark just as much excitement.

After two relatively low-key windows on Tyneside, a big-name star would re-ignite the fans on Tyneside. Osimhen's contract at Napoli is up in 2026.

Newcastle must still box clever when it comes to transfer fees and wages with the PSR rule book the way it is currently. However, United chiefs know that a hard-hitting regular goalscorer to help back up Alexander Isak is going to be required if the Magpies have any realistic hope of getting to the Champions League and staying there.

Howe knows the difficulties of signing the marquee names given the restrictions placed on Newcastle. But stated only last month the importance of dreaming big.

He said: "It's crucial. We have to have a perception of achievement, growing as a football club to keep not just the so-called big names happy, but everyone happy and going in a forward direction.

"I've seen it very quickly go the other way, so I think myself, everyone connected with the club, has a big job to try to keep that momentum positive and keep the dreams really big. It's absolutely crucial that we continue to do that."

Newcastle's transfer meetings are expected to increase in the next few weeks with January a crucial trading period for Howe and Mitchell.