Napoli’s Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, who has attracted the interest of several top European football clubs including Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, and Manchester United, may not be easily poached, as Napoli’s president Aurelio De Laurentiis is known for his tough negotiation skills.
Osimhen’s impressive performance, including scoring 22 goals in the Italian Serie A and 27 in all competitions, has confirmed Napoli’s position as champions for the 2022/23 season and earned him a place among African legends such as Samuel Eto’o and George Weah.
De Laurentiis’s recent comments have dealt a blow to the interested clubs, indicating that he will not easily let go of the talented striker.
“I will not sell Victor Osimhen this summer — no way,” he told Cinque Minuti after the match against Udinese.
The striker also spoke on his future after their status as champions was confirmed on Thursday and was only interested in partying for now.
”Future? Now I want to enjoy this historic moment. This is not the time to think about my future,” he told Sky Italia.
Multiple reports in the English and Italian media suggest De Laurentiis will only listen to an offer in the region of €150m for the forward despite claiming he would not sell and is only trying to instigate a battle that will drive the price up.
Osimhen breaks Eto’o record
Victor Osimhen’s goal that delivered the league title to Napoli was also a record-matching and record-breaking goal for the Nigerian striker.
Osimhen broke Eto’o Serie A record for most goals by an African in a single season, as reported by Sports Brief. He also matched George Weah’s record of most goals by an African in Italy.
With five games left this season, he could cement his status as the best African to play in the Italian top-flight division.