Real Madrid, Barcelona to compete for free-scoring Ligue 1 forward?
Real Madrid have been monitoring a few Lille stars over the past couple of months, but it looks like they aren’t alone in the race for breakout striker Victor Osimhen.
Florentino Perez has made it a priority to sign the best young players in world football before their prices explode, as Real Madrid have the resources to both develop the best young talent and send them to clubs where they can truly blossom on loan. Achraf Hakimi and Martin Odegaard are two great, current examples of young players excelling at a superstar level for competitive clubs.
According to a report from Le10sport.com, both Real Madrid and FC Barcelona contacted Lille with interest in striker Victor Osimhen prior to the close of the January transfer window.
Barca’s interest in a striker was understandable; they needed a top option after an injury to Luis Suarez. Meanwhile, Real have been eyeing Osimhen for some time now, so they were likely checking in on the 21-year-old.
Osimhen has been one of the biggest breakout stars in Ligue 1 this season, scoring 11 goals in 21 total appearances. He’s also caught everyone’s eye in the Champions League, as he scored twice in five games at the highest possible level.
The Nigeria international’s development will be interesting to watch, as he’s also bagged three assists to go with his seven goals. Osimhen is very much a goal-getter who needs to progress his all-around game, so he may not be the best stylistic fit for Real.
Since Real and Barca reportedly contacted Lille so late in the deadline, it’s more likely that they are putting out feelers and gauging if they want to make a pursuit for Osimhen in the summer. And that will depend on how Osimhen closes out the Ligue 1 season.
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Real Madrid already have Luka Jovic behind Karim Benzema and want to save every penny for Kylian Mbappe as their top scoring option of the future. So don’t expect them to have heavy interest in Osimhen, who will surely have the Premier League clubs closely linked in no time.
Osimhen could be an asset to so many clubs. No player in Ligue 1 has a higher percentage of their total teams goals than him.