Victor Osimhen has declared himself among the world’s elite forwards ahead of Galatasaray's Champions League meeting with Serie A giants Juventus on Tuesday evening. 

The former African Footballer of the Year suggested that he is as good as the likes of Manchester City's Erling Haaland, Bayern Munich's Harry Kane, Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski, Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe and Inter Milan's Lautaro Martínez.

Known for his work rate, aerial ability, pace and physicality, Osimhen has tallied 166 goals in 286 games across spells with Wolfsburg, Royal Charleroi SC, Lille, Napoli and Galatasaray.

On the international stage, the 2015 Fifa U17 World Cup Golden Boot winner is just three goals away from setting a new record as Nigeria's all-time top scorer in history.

Speaking to Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport, Osimhen was asked whether his current form at Galatasaray in Turkey is stronger or weaker than the version of himself who played in Serie A.

He responded: "I don't like making comparisons, but I know I'm among the best center-forwards around. If I'm not number one, I'm number two. Or, at worst, number three."

Looking ahead to Galatasaray's clash with Juventus, Osimhen acknowledged the challenge of facing one of Europe's elite clubs.

"It'll be exciting to face a top club. We know we can't afford to be distracted, because any mistake against them can be very costly. And then I'll be back with Spalletti."

Osimhen has made seven career appearances against Juventus, scoring twice while producing two assists.  

Ifeanyi Emmanuel