Over the last week, Liverpool have been strongly linked with a move for Newcastle United Swedish forward Alexander Isak. However, now it appears he might not be their only option to improve the goalscoring output.
Recent reports have the Reds wiling and able to make a move for Nigerian superstar Victor Osimhen this summer.
While there is no guarantee of this move materializing, Osimhen is seen as a world class forward and is coming off of a 37 goal barrage this past season on loan at Galatasaray.
"The best striker in the world"
That is how Nigeria national team manager Eric Chelle described Osimhen when asked for his view on his star forward.
There are no denying the facts of the matter. Osimhen, 26, has electric pace, underrated physicality and is a lethal finisher from every angle.
He's also got some technical qualities about his game and can create for others as he also bagged 8 assists in Turkey to go along with his massive goal return.
He is very much in the prime of his career and for those saying he had inflated numbers for the Turkish giants, well, he has 76 goals in 133 appearances for Napoli including 31 from 39 matches in all comps during the 2022/23 season for Gli Azzuri.
There is no doubt he would be a lethal fit alongside Mohamed Salah up top with Florian Wirtz, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister feeding him service.
A deal is definitely plausible for Liverpool
Tuttomercato has reported the Premier League champions are ready and willing to make a player + cash offer for the Nigerian international.
Starting on July 1st and going through the 15th, Osimhen will have a €75 million release clause that can be activated and the reports are showing Richard Hughes and his team could very well make this happen as well.
If they wanted to go a different route, Napoli, the reigning Serie A champions, would accept Darwin Nunez, Federico Chiesa AND €20 million for their star man.
While that might seem like a lot on the surface, looking at it closely, both Nunez and Chiesa are likely on their way out this summer anyway, and if Liverpool can turn them into Victor Osimhen holding a Liverpool shirt, they have to strongly consider it.
This gives the Reds a few different paths they can take to secure his services. While the likes of Isak would take well in excess of £100 million, this move could be a fine alternative for a player also in his prime but at a lower rate.
This is all speculative at the moment, but if Newcastle hold firm on Isak, this deal could begin picking up a head of steam over the coming weeks.
Italian side Juventus are also credited with an interest in Osimhen and must be followed to see if they make a move at all before Liverpool decides their plan. For now, Liverpool are doing their due diligence on yet another elite forward option.