Arsenal ditches Osimhen for Girona’s Dovbyk as NFF denies banning Napoli strike

Though Arsenal  reportedly remains interested in signing Osimhen, they are unwilling to meet his €120 million release clause set by Napoli. The striker has agreed with Napoli that he can leave if a suitable offer arrives, and he is now waiting for potential clubs to make their move.

However, according to a report on Calcio Napoli24, Arsenal has no intention of paying the full release clause. They are prepared to offer €75 million to secure the former Lille striker.

Yet  there are counter claims from Italy  that Arsenal have made an enquiry about Girona’s Dovbyk.

The report does not mention how much the Ukrainian striker may cost the Gunners but Sport Witness earlier this week claimed that his contract has a release clause worth between €40m and €50m, or £34m to £42m in it.

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It might not be a cheap signing, but considering Osimhen could cost up to £113m and Dovbyk’s campaign last season, it could still be a bargain.

Meanwhile, the  Nigeria Football Federation has described as outright falsehood, reports in some online publications that the football-governing body has slammed a ban on Osimhen for his social media outburst few days ago.

NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, expressed amazement at the reports, saying the Federation has neither instructed a process nor has a process been concluded to ban the player from the National Team.

“The NFF hereby implores the media to join hands with the body to positively resolve issues and then focus on the big picture all the time, rather than needlessly escalate certain matters. There was no official communication from the NFF, yet some persons have gone to town to talk about a ban on Osimhen from the National Team. This is not good at all.

“Our focus presently is to resolve all matters around the Super Eagles and be able to look ahead with confidence to the 2025 AFCON qualifiers and the remaining six matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification series.

“This is not the time to spread falsehood and foul the public space the more.”

Arsenal ditches Osimhen for Girona’s Dovbyk as NFF denies banning Napoli strike