From OmobolajI Oyegunle, London
A French club, Nice have made a £6.8million move to rival Arsenal for new Super Eagles invitees Henry Onyekuru.
The club believe they may hold the upper hand in negotiations as work permit rules are not as strict in France and they can offer Champions League football.
The Nigeria from Belgian club Eugene has just only one cap for his country and Arsenal have been told they will have to increase their own offer of £6.8million to £7.8million plus wages of £35,000 a week to ensure the teenager qualifies for a permit in England under the totting up procedure.
Nice have a strong reputation in France for recruiting young players and aiding their development. They finished third this season under Lucien Favreau who was approached by Borussia Dortmund to take over from coach Thomas Tuchel.
Onyekuru is interested in their project though told the Nigerian Football Federation that his dream is still to emulate his hero, Thierry Henry.
‘It’s a good feeling for a club like Arsenal to make a bid for me, this is due to my hard work in training and games’, Onyekuru told the Nigerian Football Federation.
‘Thierry Henry has always been my idol since I was a kid’,he said. ‘I was watching him play, watching Arsenal and going to YouTube to watch most of his games.
‘I remember saying if I had to move to the Premier League I want to be like Thierry Henry, so it’s likely to come true and I’m looking towards it at the moment’.
Onyekuru made his full Nigeria debut last week, coming on as a 59th-minute substitute in their 3-0 friendly win over Togo.
