Alan Shearer gives Newcastle United answer after Gary Lineker transfer question

Newcastle icon Alan Shearer has urged his former club to make a huge move for an unsettled striker ahead of the January transfer window. He also claims the player would add further competition to a strong front line which already features Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak.

Shearer appeared on an episode of the Rest is Football podcast alongside regular co-host Gary Lineker and presenter Micah Richards and the trio discussed the future of Napoli star Victor Osimhen, who is heavily linked with a January exit.

The Nigerian forward hit a combined 31 goals in Serie A and the Champions League last season as his side lifted the league title for the first time 1989/90. Osimhen was the top scorer in the entire division last term and he also won the award for the league’s best striker.

He has kick started the season is steady form this term as well with four goals in his opening six league games, but was mocked publicly by the club’s TikTok account on two occasions. In one video the striker is compared to a coconut, while the other shows him missing a penalty with a strange sped-up voice with the caption “gimme penalty please.”

Osimhen’s agent has claimed that the striker is considering the option to take legal action against the club, while the striker has also deleted any images of himself wearing a Napoli shirt on his Instagram. The striker refused to celebrate his most recent goal against Udinese as he ended a run of four games without a goal.

The trio all condemned Napoli’s social media for the action, as rumours begin to intensify over a potential Premier League move. Speaking of the situation Lineker asks the pair: “Where does Osimhen go from here” to which Shearer replied immediately “Newcastle.”

Elaborating on his point, Shearer said: “Well I don’t think it would do them any harm, when Man Utd won their treble they had four strikers if you remember rightly.”

He added: “If he wants a bit of love then come to St James’ Park.”

Chelsea are another club heavily linked with the striker and they are hoping to add further talent to a frontline that is struggling to score goals.

Shearer said: “There definitely won’t be a shortage of big clubs who want him and be willing to pay an absolute fortune. Absolutely he will have so many options.”

Real Madrid are another team linked with a move for the star, however much of that is likely to depend on the ongoing pursuit of Kylian Mbappe who was heavily linked over the summer ahead of the expiration of his PSG contract.