AFCON 2023: Osimhen Tipped to Beat Salah, Mane to MVP Award in Ivory Coast

• John Obi Mikel has backed Victor Osimhen to finish as AFCON 2023 POTY
• Osimhen is set to lead Nigeria’s quest for a 4th AFCON title
• Nigeria is in Group C with Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea Bissau

Former Chelsea star and ex-Nigeria captain John Obi Mikel has backed Victor Osimhen to clinch the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Player of the Tournament award.

The 24-year-old Napoli forward is expected to play a critical role for the Super Eagles as Jose Peseiro’s team bids to win Africa’s biggest football competition for the first time since 2013.

According to Soccernet, Mikel, who was speaking on the expected outcomes of the 2023 AFCON, backed Osimhen to beat the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Mohammed Kudus to the POTY award.

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“If I need to pick a player who will probably win the player of the tournament, I will go for Victor Osimhen.”

Osimhen, listed in Nigeria’s final 25-man squad to AFCON 2023, heads into the tournament as the reigning Africa Footballer of the Year after beating Liverpool’s Salah and Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi to the gong in December 2023.

Chelsea keen on Victor Osimhen

Meanwhile, Chelsea is not giving up on their chase to sign Victor Osimhen in the January transfer window despite the Super Eagles striker recently signing a contract extension with Napoli, Football London reports.

The 25-year-old played a pivotal role in Napoli's Serie A title success last season, netting 30 goals in 32 games, emerging as the top scorer in the Italian topflight.

If Chelsea were to put together a compelling financial package for Osimhen, they would have to sell players, and names like Conor Gallagher, Ian Maatsen, and Trevoh Chalobah have been mentioned as prospective casualties.

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Osimhen splashes cash in nightclub

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen is still in celebratory mode a few days before the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations as he was spotted spraying cash in a Lagos nightclub.

The Napoli striker was included in Jose Peseiro's 25-man squad to represent Nigeria at the 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

This would be the second time the former Lille striker would represent the three-time African champions in the competition, with the first being in 2019.