Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to bring in Victor Osimhem from Napoli to Manchester United

Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to bring in Victor Osimhem from Napoli to Manchester United

Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to bring Victor Osimhem to Manchester United

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly trying to engineer an extraordinary swap deal that would see Manchester United land one of the world’s best strikers in Victor Osimhen – and with one of Erik ten Hag’s favourite players used as the bait in a possible swap deal.

 

The British billionaire has his feet firmly under the desk at Old Trafford following his £1.3bn investment into 27.7% of the club back in February and will leave no stone unturned in his quest to return Manchester United to the pinnacle of English and European football.

 

To that end, Ratcliffe has already making some tough choices behind the scenes by waving farewell to some long-established names at the club such as Richard Arnold and John Murtough, replacing them with a new crack team of specialists such as Omar Berrada, Jason Wilcox and Dan Ashworth.

 

Now Ratcliffe is ready to turn that ruthless streak towards his playing squad and is gearing up for a major summer of reinvestment into the United playing squad’s too.

 

Indeed, the Red Devils are understood to have identified four areas of the side to strengthen, with a new central defender, midfielder, centre forward and right winger on their list of targets.

 

And while the identity of these players will not be known yet, with the club drawing up a list of potential targets, Ratcliffe plans to clear the path by allowing a number of United’s high-earning, but under-performing stars to depart this summer.

 

With Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial already confirmed as leaving, the no-nonsense Ratcliffe will next turn his focus to moving on Casemiro, with the three exits saving the Red Devils a staggering £840,000 a week or £43.68m a year.

 

Man Utd want to land Victor Osimhen as part of mammoth swap deal

With a number of key and strategic sales also planned along the way that money set to be reinvested into the side, with Ratcliffe and new sporting director Ashworth putting the emphasis on quality over quantity.

 

 

And as far as a new striker is concerned, the club were on Tuesday linked with a pretty extravagant move for Napoli marksman Osimhen.

 

The 25-year-old is regarded as one of the game’s very best, having blasted in an impressive 76 goals in 132 appearances for Gli Azzurri since a summer 2020 move from Lille.

 

He was rewarded with a new contract by Napoli this season, taking him through to summer 2026, though his deal did contain an exit clause which is understood to be set at €120m (£102.1m) and making him of huge appeal to some of the game’s big-spending sides.

 

 

Linked with both Arsenal and PSG – both of whom are in the market for a new striker this summer – TEAMtalk sources have also indicated Chelsea’s strong desire to sign the player, who has established himself as their No 1 priority in the off-season.

 

Aiding their chances is the player’s strong desire to test himself next in the Premier League, with the Blues arguably seen as favourites owing to the player’s affinity to former Blues star and countryman, John Obi Mikel.

 

However, in recent days it’s claimed United have thrust themselves back into the transfer race and now a fresh update from Italy has revealed exactly how Ratcliffe plans to finance the deal – by offering Napoli a cash payment and the chance to sign Rasmus Hojlund as part of a lucrative swap.

 

Agent reveals how outrageous Man Utd swap deal is possible

Hojlund moved to United last summer in a £72m switch from Atalanta; his fee largely made up of promise in the player, rather than him already being a proven product.

 

And while Hojlund has done well in periods of his debut season, so far scoring 16 times in 42 appearances ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup final, he has at times struggled and been taken out of the spotlight to take the pressure off his young shoulders.

 

In all fairness, Hojlund could well have benefited from another striker to both learn from and share the attacking responsibilities with at Old Trafford – something Erik ten Hag has been unable to offer him and having to go with Bruno Fernandes in a false No 9 position in the Dane’s absence.

 

Now his time at Old Trafford could be coming to an end after just one season, with Hojlund the sacrificial lamb in a bold move for Osimhen.

 

And Italian agent Andrea D’Amico claims the operation to take the Napoli powerhouse to Old Trafford in a swap deal for the young Dane is regarded as ‘feasible’.

 

“The future of Osimhen? It’s difficult to say now, we’re in May and it’s not a small deal so we’ll have to wait,” he said.

 

“He speaks English, the Premier League is the most important championship in the world. He doesn’t go to Barcelona and Real Madrid and if he doesn’t go to PSG or Bayern either, he will only be left with the Premier League.

 

“Osimhen-Hojlund exchange with United? It’s feasible, Manchester United respects the characteristics where Osimhen could play, in short, it’s a plausible scenario.”

 

Part of Napoli’s issue has always been about who comes in to replace Osimhen when he leaves, so perhaps a swap with a player no stranger to Serie A could represent a perfect solution.

 

It must be also stressed however that the agent in question, D’Amico, does not represent either player.