NAPOLI have slapped a £102millon price tag on Victor Osimhen who they must sell in order to buy Manchester United ace Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo’s on the market after making it clear he wants to leave Old Trafford this summer.
United boss Erik ten Hag initially opposed the 37-year-old’s departure, but has since opened the door for him to leave.
The Portugal international was dropped for United’s last two games which they’ve won consecutively.
The Red Devils followed up their emphatic 2-1 win over Liverpool with a comfortable 1-0 victory against Southampton on Saturday.
Ronaldo’s banishment to the bench is likely to have increased his desire to quit Old Trafford.
READ MORE ON MAN UNITED
But he’s had a tough time finding a suitor thus far with a host of clubs including Borussia Dortmund declining his services.
However, it’s emerged that Napoli are open to bringing the ex-Juventus star back to the Serie A.
Reports claim Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes has been trying to engineer a loan move to Napoli for his client which involves a swap deal for Osimhen.
And Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti refused to rule out a swoop for Ronaldo when quizzed about the potential transfer.
Most read in Football
FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
But the Times claim Napoli are now looking to sell Osimhen for £102m to fund a move for Ronaldo.
The club’s president Aurelio De Laurentiis is a long-time admirer of Ronaldo, and is willing to show Osimhen the door to bring in the attacker.
Osimhen was once a target of Arsenal and Tottenham, but only fellow interested party Newcastle may be willing to splash over £100m on the star.
And if they do manage to offload Osimhen, Ronaldo’s hefty £360,000-a-week wages shouldn’t be a problem for Napoli as Laurentiis plans to use Italy’s “inpatriate” tax laws to aid their pursuit.
The law provides tax cuts for Italian clubs buying foreign players from abroad – which means Napoli could save upto 50 percent on Ronaldo’s wages.
A move to Napoli could be the answer for Ronaldo as they can offer him the chance to play Champions League football – unlike United, whose absence from this season’s competition fuelled his desire to leave.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
