GOAL - James Westwood

Lille forward Victor Osimhen has revealed that he held talks with Arsene Wenger over a move to Arsenal in 2015 but ultimately decided that Wolfsburg was the best place for him to continue his development.

Osimhen signed a pre-contract agreement with Wolfsburg in January 2016 after catching the eye during Nigeria's run to FIFA U-17 World Cup glory in Chile the previous summer.

The 21-year-old joined up with his new team-mates at Volkswagen Arena the following year, but failed to register a single goal during his time at the club, and was eventually sold to Belgian outfit Charleroi.

He rediscovered his best form in the Jupiler Pro League, attracting attention from Lille in the process, who swooped for his signature ahead of the 2019-20 campaign.

Osimhen put pen to paper on a five-year contract with the French giants, and has since emerged as one of the most promising young strikers in Europe.

Arsenal, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Barcelona have all been linked with the Nigeria international in recent months after watching him help Lille climb to fourth in the Ligue 1 standings.

The former Wolfsburg starlet has hit 18 goals and laid on six assists in 38 outings across all competitions but his progress has been halted by the coronavirus-enforced break in the season.

Speculation over Osimhen's future with Lille looks set to intensify in the coming months and he has now admitted that he could have already been on the books of one of the world's biggest clubs if he'd opted for a different path as a teenager.

"I spoke with Arsene Wenger after the tournament ended and he wanted me to come to Arsenal," he told the Independent. "I had a lot of options. Barcelona, Inter, Atletico Madrid, Juventus and the rest.

"Arsenal was a good option but it wasn't the best at the time. I wanted to start playing as soon as I turned 18.

"I wanted to go to a place where I had time to invest in my game and improve physically. Wolfsburg showed me that possibility."

Osimhen is close friends with Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo - who is currently on loan at Old Trafford from Shanghai Shenhua - and says his compatriot has advised him over a possible switch to the Premier League.

The Lille talisman concedes that the English top flight holds great appeal to him, but he does not wish to end up on the bench after getting a taste of regular first-team football in France.

"Of course, one day I'd like to play for a big club in England," Osimhen added.

"I've spoken to Odion [Ighalo] about it. He gave me very good advice, he's a legend and a big brother. My goal is to play at one of the biggest clubs in the world but now I'm very happy in Lille.

"My priority is to play a lot of games. Signing for a big club and being on the bench is not exciting for me."