Tottenham make shock Victor Osimhen approach as Roberto De Zerbi plots next transfer

Victor Osimhen has been linked with a move to the Premier League in the past, but a deal has never materialised.

Tottenham Hotspur appear to have taken the lead in the race to sign Victor Osimhen from Galatasaray. The 27-year-old striker has suddenly emerged as a potential target for the Lilywhites as Roberto De Zerbi looks to bolster his frontline.

According to Caught Offside and Turkish journalist Ekrem Konur, Spurs are interested in signing Osimhen, whose contract at Rams Park expires in June 2029. The report claims that Tottenham have recently approached the Turkish giants with an opening offer worth between £50m and £55m.

It's said that Galatasaray want in the region of £65m for the Nigerian international. Caught Offside and Konur reckon that Chelsea, Manchester United, and Atletico Madrid are reportedly monitoring the situation.

At the end of last month, Roberto De Zerbi outlined his desire to strengthen his frontline, despite having already forked out almost £250m on three defenders, two midfielders and a goalkeeper this summer. Following a pre-season friendly win over Auckland, the Italian said: "The target now is to complete the attacking positions.

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"We want the first target, the first level, because anyway we are already important players, but I think to start the new project we need another couple of important players, for sure."

A few days later, De Zerbi teased the possibility of a 'bomba' signing and claimed that he's like a 'shark' in the transfer window. He said: "The transfer market, it’s not finished for sure.

"We completed 60 per cent of our project in the transfer market. Now we have another bomba. Is it close? I hope, but it’s not finished for sure. We have to increase the number of goals with the play, with the quality of the play, with the midfielders, with the attackers, but we have to bring players able to score goals.

"The idea in the transfer market is 24 hours per day you think what is the best player to put inside. You read the news, he’s going, he’s leaving. I love working in the transfer market.

"It’s not a pressure, it’s one of the nicest part in my work, in my job. In the transfer market, when I want one player, I become like a shark. No chance to say no."

When later asked to clarify his comment about a 'bomba' signing, De Zerbi appeared to downplay the possibility of another big-name addition. Speaking to reporters ahead of Tottenham's pre-season friendly win over Chelsea, he said: "Bomba in Italian is different to English.

"You can write what you want. I said we have to compete in the transfer market. We have some other players to complete the squad."

When asked to define 'bomba' in his native language, De Zerbi replied: "[Sandro] Tonali, [Mateus] Fernandes, [Marco] Senesi, [Andy] Robertson are bomba. Top players for us."

On how many more players he expects to join Tottenham before the transfer window slams shut in September, the 47-year-old said: "I think two maybe three, we have to see."

As it stands, it remains unclear at football.london whether or not Spurs are interested in signing Osimhen. The Nigerian almost joined Chelsea during the summer of 2024, but a deal collapsed at the eleventh hour, so he joined Galatasaray on an initial loan instead.

It's believed that the Blues wanted to sign Osimhen on a season-long loan with an obligation-to-buy clause. Despite Chelsea's best efforts, they couldn't reach an agreement with Napoli before the deadline.

The following summer, the Super Lig champions forked out €75m (£64m) to sign the Nigerian permanently, making him the most expensive signing in Turkish football history.

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