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Arsenal and Tottenham can both offer Victor Osimhen one thing he wants in transfer battle

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Arsenal and Tottenham have locked horns over a potential move for Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen

Tottenham and Arsenal can both offer Victor Osimhen his dream squad number as an incentive for a potential transfer.

The north London clubs have registered an interest in the Galatasaray striker this summer. Osimhen has been a prolific forward for the Turkish side, scoring 61 goals and assisting 16 times in 75 appearances.

This form has attracted interest from multiple suitors during the transfer window. Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Al-Hilal and Manchester United have all been keeping tabs on the 27-year-old.

Osimhen refused to rule out a move away from Galatasaray last week after being linked with a move to the Gunners. He said: "There are always rumours during the transfer windows.

"I’ll focus on my job. I’m focused on my work. We’ll see and think about what comes next then."

Now, Mikel Arteta or Roberto De Zerbi could utilise the No. 45 to tempt Osimhen away from Turkey and to England. The striker has worn that number since he joined Galatasaray in 2024.

Osimhen also wore No. 45 during his time at Belgian side Royal Charleroi SC in 2018. The Nigerian international has worn the numbers three, seven, nine, 12, 16 and 18 throughout his career.

His other most common number was the No. 9 at Napoli, where he lifted the Serie A title and won the African Footballer of the Year award during the 2022/23 campaign. However, neither club has this number available right now with Richarlison occupying the shirt at Spurs and Gabriel Jesus sporting it at Arsenal.

Both Arteta and De Zerbi can offer Osimhen the No. 45 instead, with Jack Henry-Francis the last to wear it at the Emirates Stadium.

Alfie Devine wore the No. 45 for Spurs during the 2022/23 season and it has remained vacant since. Despite the transfer speculation, Galatasaray president Dursun Ozbek is adamant that Osimhen won't be sold this summer.

Both Spurs and Arsenal are still ready to battle for the striker's signature. Osimhen is valued at around £58m according to recent reports and could be open to a move to England.

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Texts, meetings and sweat - The inside story of Sandro Tonali's £100m Tottenham transfer

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Texts, meetings and sweat - The inside story of Sandro Tonali's £100m Tottenham transfer - football.london

Sandro Tonali and Roberto De Zerbi was always set to be a match made in heaven... or rather in Italy.

When the Tottenham boss drew up in his transfer targets back in mid-March with sporting director Johan Lange during his negotiations to join the north London club, Tonali was one of his dream signings. The Italy international was always expected to be a tough get, until a story in the media sparked a chain of events that culminated in the 26-year-old being unveiled as Spurs' first £100million signing.

It's here that De Zerbi takes up the tale of the path that led Tonali to swap the surroundings of Newcastle to link up with his compatriot, both of them in love with the northern Italian city of Brescia, where the former was born and the latter played for almost a decade at a club that this week was liquidated due to £20million of debt.

"The story is very simple. I saw Sandro wanted to leave before the end of the season, maybe before our Chelsea game, and we have one friend in common, he's the team manager of Brescia," said the 47-year-old. "I read one story about Sandro which said 'Tonali is leaving Newcastle in the summer', and I sent a message to my friend to say 'hey, inform Sandro, if we stay up, I go to him'.

"After 10 minutes, my friend answered 'I said to Sandro and he's open'. I said now we have to win one game to stay up! I watched Newcastle's game against West Ham, 90 minutes like this (indicates sweat pouring down his face), and Sandro played very well in the first half. I said [to myself] 'if I stay up, I come to you, I come to you, I come to you'.

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"When we won the last match with Everton, the day after the game at 4pm I sent a message to Sandro. 'Sandro, I want to speak with you'. After 10 minutes, we spoke, and after two days, I went back to Italy, and we met in his home, because I didn't want to invite him in my home, because I thought maybe he's not comfortable in my home.

"I preferred to go to his home, to keep him in the right condition to say 'yes, why not'. For me, nothing changed."

De Zerbi was Tottenham's not so secret weapon when it came to signing Tonali, with Manchester City also interested in the player, for the two men had that long-standing connection to their common city.

"Brescia is so small. I spent two weeks there and him as well and I met him two or three times in the city," Tonali, who was born an hour away in Lodi, told football.london. "But not just him. I met my old team manager in Brescia. I met two times Roberto Baggio!

"I spoke with [De Zerbi] when he was in Sassuolo, and at Marseille and Brighton. We spoke every time because we are Italian, we are from Brescia, and it’s a mini connection together.

"We spoke about him, about his work, about the passion that he puts into every single moment with the team for this work and I think now, after two weeks, I know everything. Everything is real. All gaffers are different. I spent three years with Eddie [Howe] and he was fantastic, especially for me.

"But now I’ve found a different gaffer who works a lot on the pitch, a lot with the tactics, a lot with the ball. We love to play with the ball because we are a big team with big players. We spoke about Brescia, about our tough situation with our team."

There was also the looming presence of City but Tonali was instantly won over by De Zerbi, Lange and Tottenham's very personal desire to make him one of their own.

"Honestly, I spoke with another team, but when I spoke with Tottenham, it was totally different," admitted the midfielder. "The first thing was after last season, I spoke with my wife. We wanted to change our life, but not just for the city, we wanted to change everything.

"We spoke with two clubs. When we spoke with Tottenham, we decided to sign for this team. Not just for the city, but for the people and the way they spoke. They spoke with 100 per cent passion, 100 per cent seriousness. For this city, for my life outside of football for my family, OK, it’s like 10 per cent. Roberto and the director made the difference to the deal.

"If you are happy here with your manager, a manager you know already, in this city, your family is happy, my wife she is happy, totally it’s different."

Tonali said he knew within moments of finishing his discussion with Spurs that it was going to be a career-defining move for him.

"I spoke with Tottenham and the first impression is a big thing. My first impression was really positive. I spoke after two minutes with my wife and my family and I said 'probably it will be one of my best decisions of my career'," he remembered.

"When you are happy after a 10-minute chat, it’s everything, everything is perfect. The gaffer was Italian, Roberto. I knew him. Roberto really cares about his work, his football. He said the project will be tough but will be perfect for me, for you, for the city, and we can have one of the best seasons because we have big players. We just have to put a lot of work in."

Tonali and his family had first mulled over a return home this summer but it was obvious that Serie A clubs would not be able to afford the huge fee Newcastle were looking for. Then when Tottenham and De Zerbi came along, it would prove to be the perfect 'little Italy' in N17 for the midfielder and his wife to move to.

"We stayed three years in Newcastle and after three years, we spoke all together, me and my family and decided to come back to Italy but it was impossible for the money," he said. "It was really tough for us, but tough for the deal, for the team, not for the salary. For the salary, you can speak all the time, but if you don’t find the money for the transfer, you don’t have the chance to move.

"England was our solution and we found the best solution in England for me, for my career, for my football, for my happiness, for my family. I spoke with two teams. I knew within 10 or 15 minutes that Tottenham would be my next team."

On the Italian numbers among the squad and coaches, he added: "It’s nice. So many staff. Three Italian players. It’s funny because sometimes we speak more Italian than English, but it’s fine because I was at Newcastle and I spoke just English for three years! I only spoke Italian in my house with my wife. So it was a bit different."

Spurs' negotiations with Newcastle took a little while with United, who have now parted company with Eddie Howe, holding out for a £100million deal. They eventually exactly got that with the north London outfit agreeing to pay them £92.5million with another £7.5million in add-ons.

"The first thing was to get the best deal for Newcastle. I met there some of the best people in football," said Tonali. "They love football, they live for football. When I decided to move, I said to my agent and to [Newcastle sporting director] Ross Wilson that I wanted the best deal for Newcastle because they deserve everything and if I have to move, then I can say hello in two, three years to you or to Eddie.

"If we meet in 10 years, I want to go for a good dinner with the staff, with Ross, because they are very great people. This is football, sometimes you have to understand how everything can change in your life in five minutes. This work, for football players, you finish at 35, 36, 37, it’s really quick. You have to take opportunities in life and when you finish, you can speak with all the people."

So what does it feel like to join the exclusive club of £100million footballers?

"I don’t know! It’s pre-season. If I was another player, sometimes it’s tough, sometimes the pressure is different, but you have to understand that this is football. The price is different now to 10 years ago," Tonali told football.london. "I know I have a lot of pressure but I know I’m a football player, I know my responsibilities, I know this team, I know the people here.

"I have to play like I’m a normal player, a normal Tottenham player, with passion, putting my energy in everyday. If you put this into the pitch every day, it’s different, it’s not £1million, £10million, or £100million. You just have to be a passionate player for this gaffer. Put everything on to the pitch."

Tonali does not come across like a superstar £100million footballer. He's laid back, not a loud character but an assured talker and you are far more likely to find him with his family, his grandmother or friends than on some big night out on the town.

He is looking forward to the season ahead in a Spurs shirt.

"It is important now for us, for now, for the future, to stay all together because we know it was a tough, tough, tough, tough season. Every game is difficult," he said. "This season, we have to put our happiness, concentration, everything over 100 per cent to make the difference in every second to win every game.

"We will play one game a week, this is a little better especially when you arrive in December and January. We have to play our best football and try to win every game."

Tonali has a younger team-mate to partner and mentor through the coming season as while Tonali's arrival smashed Tottenham's transfer record, it had only been set a few days before with the £85million capture of Mateus Fernandes from West Ham.

De Zerbi is excited about his new midfield duo and the Italian could be seen in Australia in the background of a club video this week having an animated discussion with the two players to one side in a meeting room. So what was he saying?

"He wants our relationship to be 100 per cent, especially on the pitch, because off the pitch, our relationship is already top. We have to keep our football, our work on the pitch, because it’s tough," Tonali explained to football.london. "We played in two different teams last season, two different shapes, two different football [styles]. Now we are together, and we have to find our shape, our football.

"Sometimes it’s not easy. Maybe you need two or three weeks, but after four or five days, me and Matheus, I said to him and he said to me 'it’s not really difficult, this football, because we know the rules about this shape'.

"We played in the past with two midfielders and if you play like that, you know already everything. You know the offensive phase, the defensive phase, and it’s a little easier. You need less time and less weeks so we are a little lucky because we played in this shape in the past.

"We have to keep working together because when we start the Premier League, it will be different, playing against great teams. We play against Chelsea [on Saturday] but pre-season is not Premier League. We have to work every week to be ready for the first game."

Both players have featured for previous clubs as a number six and a number eight but Tonali said the 22-year-old looks set to be the deeper man in their pairing, even if a final call has not been made yet with just 45 minutes together on the pitch so far in pre-season.

"I don’t know, we don’t decide already, but I think him. For me, I played at number six last season, but for him, I think his characteristics are more number six than eight, but we want to start together at six," explained the Italy international.

Tottenham have made a big investment and leap in quality with the arrival of Tonali and both he and De Zerbi will be hoping that a partnership years in the making comes to fruition at the perfect time for a new era in north London.

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Tottenham can raise £167m on eight player sales as two attacking signings eyed

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Tottenham have already splashed £237million on new signings but Roberto De Zerbi has now indicated they are only 60 per cent "done" in the transfer market this summer

At some point, the focus at Tottenham will shift to outgoings but for now, Roberto De Zerbi has indicated there could be more glistening new arrivals very soon.

Speaking in Sydney, the Italian told football.london that another "bomba" is on the way very soon.

The indications are this could potentially be a separate attacking arrival on top of Savinho, who is a long-standing Spurs target.

The Manchester City man has already informed his current employers that he wants to pursue an exit with Tottenham primed to pounce, providing both clubs can find middle ground on a fee.

Once Tottenham have bolstered their attack, it's clear they will have to raise some cash through departures, purely based on the fact their squad is already somewhat bloated.

Here's a look at which stars could go and how much their exits could raise - subject to how negotiations advance.

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Guglielmo Vicario - £20m

The problem with Vicario is Juventus are seemingly the only club keen and they are never likely to blow a big fee on the Italian. They know Spurs want to sell and will probably seek to structure a loan-to-buy deal.

Some may feel £20m is below market value but given the lack of interest, it's hard to see Tottenham receiving much more than that.Souza - £16mThe young Brazilian arrived from Santos in January in a deal worth around £13million. Since then, Spurs have signed Andy Robertson and Djed Spence lit up the World Cup with England - then there's Ben Davies.

It's safe to say they're well-stocked at left-back so if a decent offer that would see them overturn profit lands on the table (Porto are reportedly interested) then Spurs may talk.

Cristian Romero - £40m

Romero is worth more than £40m but again, given the clubs that are interested, it's hard to see them earning his true market value.

It's clear he would be keen to move on, so that weakens Spurs' hand. Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona have all been linked but there's not been any concrete movement to date.

Ashley Phillips - £8m

There's a chance Spurs could get a bigger fee for Phillips, who made the Championship Team of the Season last term following a bright spell with Stoke City.

The 21-year-old made 40 Championship appearances last season and is being courted by Middlesbrough.

He was not named in the club's pre-season tour squad, indicating a departure is probable.

Pape Matar Sarr - £20m

Given he joined for £14.6m plus bonuses from Metz in 2021, Tottenham will be pushing for a fee upwards of £25m, though that might not happen.

Sarr is a great age at 23 but is unlikely to get regular playing time at the club following the arrivals of Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes. A departure feels likely with Brentford and Aston Villa among those linked.

Manor Solomon - £8m

We have a decent idea of the player's value given Spurs included an £8.6m (€10m) buy-option in Solomon's loan to Fiorentina in January.

While they did not trigger it, Tottenham will be seeking close to that figure amid reported interest from West Ham and La Viola.

Solomon's reps are working on his departure and a transfer seems likely to materialise.Dane Scarlett - £5m

Scarlett has had a positive pre-season on the back of various loans with Portsmouth, Ipswich, Oxford and Hibs.

Still, he's unlikely to feature in Roberto De Zerbi's plans for the upcoming campaign. His deal is up next summer and Spurs will be seeking a small fee for his services.Potential: Lucas Bergvall - £50m

Bergvall's future is still a tad uncertain despite De Zerbi's insistence that he wants to keep the Swede.

Regular minutes are unlikely due to Tottenham's stacked midfield roster and Newcastle saw a £46m verbal offer rebuffed earlier this month.

If they receive a £50m bid, it's one that might be considered if Bergvall pushes to depart.

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