Sports

United ready to pay record €140m for Osimhen – Report

Published

2 years ago

August 29, 2022

Victor Osimhen

Manchester United are preparing a whopping €140m bid for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen before the end of the summer transfer window.

According to Il Mattino, a reputable Naples-based outlet, Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, has told the Serie A giants to expect a massive offer for the Nigeria international.

Mendes has been working to secure a move for Ronaldo, who wants to play in the Champions League this season.

Il Mattino claims that Manchester United are even willing to fund a large part of Ronaldo’s wages as part of a deal which would allow them to replace the Portuguese star with Osimhen.

The Serie A side are looking to sell the Nigerian to facilitate Ronaldo’s arrival from Old Trafford, with a deal that could be worth up to €140m expected to be discussed between the two clubs in the coming days.

Having narrowly won against Southampton on Saturday, many fans believe United lack a prolific goal-hungry striker and Osimhen could be the perfect fit to end United’s goals-scoring woes.

Napoli are reportedly keen to bring Ronaldo back to Serie A, as the veteran forward looks to leave Old Trafford to secure Champions League football. He has already offered himself to several sides in Europe, including Milan and Inter.

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Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is an admirer of Ronaldo and is willing to cash €140m for Osimhen.

Osimhen was once a target of Arsenal and Tottenham, but only fellow interested party Newcastle may be willing to splash over £100m on the star.

If Osimhen’s deal goes through, Ronaldo’s bogus £360,000-a-week wages will not be a problem for Napoli as Laurentiis plans to use Italy’s tax laws to aid his pursuit.

The law provides tax cuts for Italian clubs buying foreign players from abroad – which means Napoli could save 50 per cent on Ronaldo’s wages.

Meanwhile, Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti disclosed there is “nothing concrete” at the moment between Napoli, Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo, but explained it “wouldn’t be a swap with Victor Osimhen” if it did happen.

Speaking at a press conference, Spalletti said, “If you’re asking me if I’d like to work with Ronaldo, I tell you no coach would say no to that. However, if we go into those areas, the journalists like to fill in for themselves, then as Osimhen’s agent said, there are no negotiations.

“De Laurentiis, he told me that he received no offer, so let’s remain as realistic as possible here and take into consideration only things that could happen.

Punch

Related Topics:Manchester United Osimhen

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Iheanacho, Ndidi’s Leicester City secure promotion back to EPL

Published

3 hours ago

April 27, 2024

Trends Admin

Leicester City

Iheanacho, Ndidi’s Leicester City secure promotion back to EPL

Leicester City were promoted to the Premier League on Friday after rivals Leeds United crashed to a shock 4-0 defeat at Queens Park Rangers.

The result leaves Leicester City top of the Championship with 94 points with two games to play while Leeds stay second on 90 but with just one match left.

Third-place Ipswich Town can pip Leeds to the second automatic promotion place as they currently have 89 points with three matches still to play.

Enzo Maresca’s Leicester City achieved promotion at the first time of asking having been relegated from the Premier League last season following a third-from-bottom finish.

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Their final two games begin with a trip to Preston on Monday, before they round off the season with a home finale against Blackburn on May 4.

Leeds will find themselves outside the top two if Ipswich beat Hull on Saturday, or Coventry win their game in hand on Tuesday.

Should Ipswich win both, they will be promoted while Leeds will have to enter the play-offs.

On Friday goals from Ilias Chair, Lucas Andersen, Lyndon Dykes and Sam Field gave QPR victory and guaranteed their survival in England’s second-tier.

Iheanacho, Ndidi’s Leicester City secure promotion back to EPL

Sports

Ronaldo playing in Saudi league for money like me – Ighalo

Published

3 days ago

April 24, 2024

Trends Admin

Cristiano Ronaldo and Odion Ighalo

Ronaldo playing in Saudi league for money like me – Ighalo

Ex-Super Eagles striker Odion Ighalo has disclosed that the decision of Cristiano Ronaldo and other top footballers to ply their trade in Saudi Arabia was informed by pecuniary motives.

Ronaldo moved to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr last year in a stunning three-year deal that would see him earn €210.704 million in total.

Other top footballers, who have made names for themselves in Europe, have also moved to Saudi Arabia as the the oil-rich middle east nation injected massive cash into league in order to make it a football powerhouse.

Reacting to the move of Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia and the influx of big players to the Saudi league, Ighalo said the motivation behind these moves was money and not passion.

Ighalo made this known during an interview with sport journalist, Oma Akatugba.

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He said. “See people that are going to Saudi Arabia, big players. Is Ronaldo still playing for passion? He has made more than 100 times what I have in my life, but he still went to Saudi. You want to tell me that is passion? No, it’s for money.

“It’s only when we Africans say it they will say we like money. But these people don’t care, some of them want to be highest paid and all that,”

Ighalo left mainstream Europe for Chang Chung Yatai in 2017 after playing for Lyn, Udinese, Granada, Cesena, and Watford.

At Yatai, he earned a reported €200,000 weekly salary, before moving to Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua where he also commanded a similar wage.

Ighalo spent one year in Shanghai before moving to Manchester United on a six-month loan deal.

After that, the 34-year-old joined Al Shabbab, where he started earning €170,000.

Ronaldo playing in Saudi league for money like me – Ighalo

Sports

MLS: Messi’s double keeps Miami on top of the league table

Published

5 days ago

April 22, 2024

Trends Admin

Lionel Messi

MLS: Messi’s double keeps Miami on top of the league table

Lionel Messi showcased his brilliance with a double and an assist for Sergio Busquets as Inter Miami secured a 3-1 victory over Nashville on Saturday, keeping them at the summit of Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference.

Despite a shaky start that saw Franco Negri inadvertently deflect a corner into Miami’s net within two minutes, Messi swiftly equalized in the 11th minute after Luis Suarez redirected a rebounded shot from the Argentine.

Messi continued to menace Nashville’s defense, narrowly missing another goal before providing an exquisite cross for Diego Gomez, whose header was denied by Nashville keeper Elliot Panicco.

Miami capitalized on their momentum as Busquets, Messi’s former Barcelona teammate, nodded in a corner just before halftime, giving Miami a well-deserved lead.

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However, Miami suffered a setback as Gomez was stretchered off with an ankle injury, adding to their injury woes.

Although Nashville dominated possession in the second half, Miami remained resolute defensively. In the 81st minute, Messi sealed the win by converting a penalty after Leonardo Afonso was fouled in the box.

With this victory, Messi extended his impressive goal-scoring record to nine goals in as many games across all competitions for Miami.

Reflecting on Miami’s performance, manager Gerardo Martino praised his team’s resilience, particularly considering their depleted squad due to injuries.

Despite Miami’s success, Columbus Crew faced a tough battle, twice coming from behind to secure a 2-2 draw against Phil Neville’s Portland Timbers.

Meanwhile, Cincinnati clinched a 2-1 win over Atlanta United, with Luciano Acosta playing a pivotal role in their comeback victory. This highlights an eventful day in Major League Soccer.