Arsenal pull plug on Serie A transfer over £122m asking price but Chelsea ‘continuing’ to push

Arsenal have pulled out of the race to sign Victor Osimhen as Napoli make a new demand for the prolific striker, according to reports.
The Gunners have been told by a number of pundits and former players that they could struggle to win the Premier League title and challenge for the Champions League unless they bring in another striker in January.
Despite that, Arsenal are currently top of the Premier League table, one point ahead of Liverpool, who they face at Anfield on Saturday.
There have been rumours that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta wants as many as four new players to ‘complete’ his Gunners side in January if he can offload some of his current squad.
And Osimhen had reportedly been one of their top targets as Arteta looks for a prolific striker to compete in the goalscoring charts with Manchester City talisman Erling Haaland.
Football Transfers claim that Arsenal ‘will not continue to pursue a transfer deal’ for Osimhen as they ‘pull out’ of the race to sign the Nigeria international.
Arteta is ‘ready to shelve their interest in the player’ after making ‘contact’ with both Osimhen and his representatives.
Arsenal are ‘not prepared to meet the release clause’ in Osimhen’s potential new contract with the 24-year-old set to ‘cost in the region of €130-140 million (£113m-£122m)’.
The Gunners are ‘unwilling to match this new price’ but Premier League rivals Chelsea are ‘continuing to take a good look at the prolific striker’ and are in ‘pole position’ if he decides to leave Napoli.
Although it has not been officially signed, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has now confirmed that Osimhen’s new contract at Napoli “is almost agreed”.
Romano wrote in his Caught Offside column: “The situation is still exactly the same as I said 10 days ago guys, no changes. Victor Osimhen’s new deal is almost agreed, contract until 2026, and a release clause will be there.
“Napoli president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, only confirmed on Friday what we already knew and mentioned. It will happen guys.”
Gary Neville is one pundit who is convinced that Arsenal need to bring in another striker to avoid any unexpected results before the end of the season.
Neville said in November: “In the games I have watched Arsenal this season, centre-forward has been a problem.
“Arsenal have to do some business in January – they are ending the game with (Leandro) Trossard in attack.”
Manchester United legend Neville added: “I’ve said this after a few Arsenal games this season – Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah at centre-forward are both very good, but I’d like them to be my No 2 and No 3 strikers.
“I’d really love them to be my No 2 and No 3 strikers and they might even end up playing wide and off the left in certain games or off the right because both of them can do that role.
“But if Arsenal had a top No 9 and they’ve had some really top No 9s in the last 20 or 30 years, then I think they could go on to win the title. I’ve predicted them to win the title but when I look at them now in big games, I feel they’re lacking something up top.
“To be fair, I think Mikel Arteta knows that. He loves them both and he should do, Arsenal fans should do. This is not a criticism of the two lads they’ve got because I think they can be really important players for Arsenal, but I feel like they should be part of the 20-man squad.
“They could still contribute in 25-30 matches a season, but I feel you need something more in those top matches that just get you over the line. Erling Haaland does get Man City over the line quite a bit and I think that’s what the difference could be in the end. So for me, that’s a big thing.”