SUPER Eagles striker Victor Osimhen’s transfer price has likely gone up by a few more million dollars after he won the 2020 Marc-Vivien Foe Award yesterday with Radio France International and France 24 naming him the best African player in the country.
Osimhen, 21, has been the subject of a lot of transfer speculation due to his hot goalscoring form, with the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, Spurs, Manchester United and Chelsea all reported to be interested in purchasing him. Several Italian clubs have also made enquiries about the striker but his French club Lille have turned down all offers for the time being.
This season, Osimhen has scored 18 goals and recorded six assists in 38 appearances across all competitions for his club. Having already been voted the Lille Player of the Year by the club’s fans, this latest award is going to boost his purchase price further and increase speculation about where he will ply his trade next season.
Named after late Cameroonian midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe, the yearly award Osimhen just received is to celebrate African players plying their trade in the French League. Osimhen saw off competition from his compatriot and Nantes Player of the Year Moses Simon and eight other African stars to win this prestigious award.
Algerian Islam Slimani of Monaco and Moroccan Yunis Abdelhamid of Stade de Reims came second and third respectively. Saint-Etienne’s Denis Bouanga, Montpellier’s Andy Delort, Rennes’ trio of Mbaye Niang, Hamari Traore and Edouard Mendy were also in the race for the top accolade.
Although contracted to Lille until 2024, Osimhen has been the subject of transfer speculations over recent months with one of the multiple reports claiming he has actually agreed to a deal with Italian club Napoli. Osimhen has since rubbished the claim and promised to update his fans if indeed he finally makes a switch away from Lille.
In the past, Ivorian striker Gervinho won the Marc Vivien-Foe back-to-back in 2010 and 2011, while Vincent Enyeama picked up the prize in 2014. Algerian Sofiane Boufal was the winner in 2016.
Karl Toko Ekambi, Andre Ayew and Arsenal’s Pierre Merrick Aubameyang are also among former winners. Arsenal’s Nicolas Pepe won the 2019 edition before his switch to England after his fine contributions for Lille last season.
