Manchester United chiefs are unlikely to secure a deal for Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen due to the enormous wage demands associated with the player, reportedly around £20 million per season. This high salary is a significant concern for a club that is currently focused on reducing its wage bill, which stood at £365 million last season.
Osimhen, who has been linked with a move to Old Trafford ahead of the summer transfer window, is expected to leave Napoli for good after the 2024/25 season. Currently on loan at Galatasaray following a fallout with Napoli’s hierarchy, the Nigerian international attracted significant interest last summer, with Chelsea coming closest to finalizing a deal before it ultimately fell through. Although Osimhen has remained coy about his next destination, he has been strongly linked with Manchester United, just as Arsenal reportedly showed readiness to pay his €75 million release clause.
Former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Borson provided his perspective on the potential Osimhen deal, stating that United are unlikely to invest in the 26-year-old striker because of his “enormous” wage demands. Borson noted that even if United had the cash, his fee and his high wages would be a major stumbling block. He explained, “One is whether they could do it, so do they have the cash to do it? I suspect that they don’t have the cash to do it and that they would need more money to be put in by the shareholders or to borrow more under their various facilities. That’s for two reasons. One, because his fee would be higher than they’d want to pay, even at £62m. His age is probably borderline as to whether he’s the right age that they’d want to look at, but most of all, his wages would be enormous.”
Borson further emphasized that United are currently in a phase of retrenchment and restructuring, focusing on acquiring younger players with lower salaries to bring down overall wage expenses. “I just don’t see that they’re going to invest again at these sorts of very big levels while they’re in the middle of effectively a retrenchment and restructuring of the organisation,” he added.
Osimhen has registered 22 goals and five assists in 28 appearances for Galatasaray this season, showcasing his talent on the field. However, the high wage demands remain a critical issue, and it seems likely that Manchester United will look to target players with more manageable salary profiles as they work to rebuild their squad and balance their finances.
