Aurelio De Laurentiis says Victor Osimhen’s contractual situation is “not up for discussion” after controversy surrounding Napoli’s TikTok video.
Napoli managed to retain their star strikers Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia over the summer after winning a long-awaited Scudetto.
However, rumors linking the Nigerian striker to the Premier League gained momentum last week after he became the subject of controversy on social media.
Napoli’s TikTok account appeared to mock Osimhen by posting a video of him missing a penalty, accompanied by a high-pitched voiceover saying: “Gimme penalty please”: “Give me a penalty please”.
The player’s agent threatened legal action, while Osimhen removed all mention of the club from his Instagram page. The 24-year-old started Napoli’s 4-0 win over Lecce on the bench, but released a statement saying he “won’t allow anyone to come between” him and Napoli, and that his love for the club is “unshakeable”.
Following Napoli’s 3-2 defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, the club’s president dismissed concerns that the TikTok incident had undermined efforts to sign their star striker to a new contract.
“Victor is a player who makes the team on his own, it’s not a question of discussion,” De Laurentiis told El Chiringuito. “There is no problem with the renewal, everyone in Naples is happy.”
Napoli signed Osimhen from Lille in 2020 and last season’s top scorer in Serie A has since been linked with clubs like Chelsea, Manchester United and Bayern Munich.
