Napoli president puts Premier League clubs on red alert with Victor Osimhen transfer hint
Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis has opened the door somewhat to a possible Victor Osimhen exit amid his contract stand-off.
The Nigeria international is undoubtedly the superstar at Napoli, having helped fire them to a first Serie A title in 33 years last season, scoring 26 goals in 32 league appearances.
It's led to strong interest in the summer over his services and Napoli have been desperate to tie him down to a new contract to ward off potential suitors, with his current deal expiring in 2025.
But talks have reached an impasse, though De Laurentiis revealed that an agreement was reached earlier this year.
He said: “I have never not been calm when it comes to Osimhen, but it takes two to tango.
"I remain the same, if his mood has changed, then there’s not much I can do about that.
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"If after a handshake things change, that is disappointing, we take it into account, but life goes on.
“We have a good rapport with him, the contract runs to 2025, so there is time. Don’t forget I sold [Kalidou] Koulibaly at the last minute.”
De Laurentiis was referring to the sale of Koulibaly to Chelsea in 2022 for around £30million after batting away clubs for his signature for years.
The Senegal international had entered the final year of his contract before being allowed to leave.
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But Osimhen's exit would be a huge blow to Napoli, who are already struggling to retain the sort of form they showed last season to win the league.
Luciano Spalletti resigned at the end of last season and was replaced by Rudi Garcia, who has already come under fire from De Laurentiis.
Meanwhile, Osimhen has been linked with several clubs including Chelsea and Liverpool.
The former Lille star was recently incensed by the club's social media channels.
A TikTok video mocked Osimhen for missing a penalty and led to Napoli making an official apology last month.
"Calcio Napoli, wishing to avoid any exploitation of the issue, point out that we never wanted to offend or mock Victor Osimhen, who is a treasure of this club," a statement read.
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