Osimhen to break the record? Serie A’s most expensive sales | OneFootball

Victor Osimhen is edging closer to an exit from Napoli with Paris Saint-Germain pushing ahead with plans to sign the striker.

Osimhen has a release clause of around €130m (£109m) in his contract at Napoli, a figure that could make the Nigerian the most expensive sale in Serie A history.

As the 25-year-old inches closer to a big-money transfer, we’ve ranked the most expensive Serie A sales ever.

5. Dusan Vlahovic – Fiorentina to Juventus (£66.6m)

Dusan Vlahovic’s fine form at Fiorentina persuaded Juventus to raid their rivals for the Serbian striker.

After scoring 37 goals in 58 league appearances across 18 months in Florence, Juventus pulled the trigger on a deal worth £66.6m in the 2022 January transfer window.

Vlahovic has scored 41 goals in 101 appearances across all competitions since his transfer to Turin and was named Serie A Best Striker for the 2023-24 campaign. He is expected to feature prominently as Juventus begin a new era under Thiago Motta this season.

4. Rasmus Hojlund – Atalanta to Manchester United (£72m)

Rasmus Hojlund’s meteoric rise saw the Denmark international join Manchester United for a fee of £72m after just a single season in Serie A.

Hojlund had moved from Copenhagen to Sturm Graz to Atalanta in consecutive campaigns, handling each step up impressively, before Manchester United broke the bank to sign the forward.

The Dane had scored 10 goals in 34 appearances in all competitions during his debut season at Atalanta and impressed with a hat-trick on his first start for Denmark in March 2023.

The 21-year-old scored 16 goals in 43 games during an encouraging first season at Old Trafford.

3. Gonzalo Higuain – Napoli to Juventus (£75.6m)

The most expensive transfer in history between two Serie A teams saw Gonzalo Higuain leave Napoli for Juventus.

Higuain’s blistering form for Napoli saw him score 91 goals in 146 appearances, including a record-breaking 2015-16 that saw the Argentine score 36 league goals to win the Capocannoniere and equal the record for goals in an Italian top-flight season.

Higuain soured his relationship with the Napoli fans after leaving for rivals Juventus, where he won consecutive domestic doubles and reached the Champions League final in 2017.

He scored 66 goals in 148 games in Turin and spent time on loan at AC Milan and Chelsea before a move to MLS side Inter Miami.

2. Paul Pogba – Juventus to Manchester United (£89m)

Manchester United broke the world transfer record by re-signing Paul Pogba from Juventus in 2016.

Pogba had come through the academy at Manchester United but departed for Juventus on a free transfer in search of regular first-team football. Four successful Serie A seasons later, Juventus banked a world-record fee in one of the most profitable transfers of all time.

The French midfielder won four consecutive Serie A titles with the Old Lady but struggled to live up to expectations at Old Trafford. Pogba won a Europa League and League Cup double in his debut season, though the following five seasons passed without silverware.

He rejoined Juventus on a free transfer in 2022.

1. Romelu Lukaku – Inter Milan to Chelsea (£97.5m)

Romelu Lukaku returned to Chelsea in a deal worth £97.5m in 2021.

Lukaku failed to make the grade as a teenager at Chelsea but prolific spells at Everton, Manchester United and Inter Milan saw the Blues break their transfer record to re-sign the Belgian. Lukaku had scored 47 goals in 72 league games for Inter and lifted the 2020-21 Serie A title, but hopes of a hero’s return to West London failed to materialise.

After one underwhelming season, in which he alienated sections of the supporters with a controversial interview, Lukaku was loaned out to Inter and AS Roma in consecutive campaigns. Chelsea are currently looking to offload the 31-year-old permanently with Serie A the likeliest destination.

Read – Ranking the five most expensive teenagers in Premier League history

See more – Who should win the 2024 Ballon d’Or? Our top contenders

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