Victor Osimhen was close to joining Arsenal from Lille before Napoli got the deal done.

Osimhen joined the Serie A leaders in a reported £70m deal last summer after an impressive run of form that saw him scored 18 goals in 38 appearances for the Ligue 1 side in the 2019-20 season.

Osimhen was linked with several top European clubs, including Arsenal and Liverpool, although he signed for the Serie A.

However, Italian journalist Paolo Bargiggia revealed that Arsenal was close to signing the in-form Victor Osimhen before his move to Napoli.

Speaking to 1 Station Radio, he said: “You must know that Osimhen was followed by Arsenal: he was very close to the Gunners, but Cristiano Giuntoli spoke with Aurelio De Laurentiis and the president broke the delay: so Napoli decided and managed to buy him.” he said.

Osimhen has scored six goals for Napoli this season, with of them coming in Serie A, while the other two came in the Europa League.