For better or for worse, Victor Osimhen and Naples said yes to each other on July 31, 2020. Seen for a very long time by the Partenopei, the striker managed to divorce with Lille after long negotiations. In Italy, the striker quickly impressed and scored a series of goals. Last year, he scored 31 in 39 appearances in all competitions (4 assists). He had been an important element of Luciano Spalletti’s eleven, with whom he won the Serie A title. Obviously, his performances and his statistics panicked the best clubs of the Old Continent.
Osimhen is angry
PSG, where Luis Campos pushed for his arrival, was thinking of him to lead their attack. Same thing for Manchester United, Chelsea or Bayern Munich. Then, Al-Hilal came knocking on the Italians’ doors. But Aurelio De Laurentiis, known for being very tough in business, rejected all approaches. Indeed, the club where Neymar plays had offered 120 then 140 million euros for the Naples striker. A player that ADL wanted to keep at all costs. An extension was even under consideration. But the discussions did not allow progress, despite around ten meetings between the management and the Osimhen clan.
Now, the two camps are likely to discuss a departure. This has nothing to do with his recent rant following his substitution against Bologna. Upset and annoyed, the player blamed his coach. But the Nigerian’s agent revealed that his colt apologized to Rudi Garcia and his teammates after the match. An incident that is closed. This is not the case for the conflict between him and his club. Yesterday, a video of Osimhen’s missed penalty was broadcast on the club’s social networks with mocking background music. This made the player and those around him lose their grip.
Naples defends
His agent came out with an inflammatory message, despite the deletion of the famous video. The striker stopped following Naples on social networks and removed all images of him wearing the Italian team’s jersey. In addition, he plans to take his club to court. There Gazzetta dello Sport subsequently clarified that a departure this winter or next summer is highly possible. It is even more than conceivable since the cloth has clearly burned. Moreover, several Neapolitan supporters believe that this is a strategy by the former Lille player to force his departure whatever happens.
Last summer, he was already thinking of leaving, Nigeria coach José Peseiro revealed to Gazzetta. “At the beginning of the summer, Victor thought about leaving Naples.” But ADL’s no to PSG and Al-Hilal put an end to his hopes. This time, the footballer under contract until 2025 could really leave if the situation does not improve. But the player, who regretted the departure of Spalletti, is experiencing difficulties with his coach and the supporters. With his club, things are also tense following this incident, even if the managers assure that there was no desire to injure the player.
A high price
But the Osimhen clan doesn’t believe it. Everyone is in a bind today. But there are solutions. The first is that the player gets back together with his club. As explained previously, this seems complicated. There GoS also specifies that the negotiations for its extension are suspended and that they are no longer moving forward. The player is still under contract until 2025. We cannot imagine him going through the end of his lease, even if De Laurentiis would be able to keep him at all costs even if he no longer played.
The other solution would therefore be to leave this winter or next summer. Naples could recover money with a free player in 2025. Especially since his value will drop since he will not have many years left to honor. According to the specialized site transfermarkt, the attacker’s market value is currently estimated at 120 million euros. But the Daily Mail explains that Napoli will ask for much more. The English media speaks of a price set at around 172 million euros. Few clubs are capable of putting in so much today.
There are exit doors
Interested this summer, PSG recruited Gonçalo Ramos and Randal Kolo Muani. Despite a possible departure of Kylian Mbappé next summer, the capital club already has what it needs. Same thing for Bayern Munich, who got their hands on Harry Kane, and Manchester United, who recruited Rasmus Højlund. Chelsea, who are used to splurging, could be at it again. The Sun explains that the Blues have problems in attack and want a No.9 this winter. The Osimhen track should be revived. The English media adds that Newcastle, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham can join in to make a big move. Besides the Premier League, Osimhen could bounce back in Spain, where Real Madrid have not recruited a replacement for Karim Benzema.
The name of the Naples player was sometimes mentioned, without it going any further. Especially since the Merengues seem more interested in Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland for the summer of 2024. A door can, however, open in Saudi Arabia, where Al-Hilal was interested. Offering the 24-year-old a big salary and signing a big check to Napoli won’t be a problem for the SPL teams, although they don’t like paying big transfer fees. The only problem is that many teams have reached the maximum quota of foreign players. It would therefore be necessary to leave to make room, unless the number of foreigners per team is increased in the regulations. What it was about. Solutions therefore exist for Victor Osimhen in the event of his departure. Naples still needs to accept the divorce.
