Victor Osimhen's Napoli exit confirmed: Super Eagles star to leave this summer, club President says

Victor Osimhen for Napoli | Imago

FOOTBALL Victor Osimhen's Napoli exit confirmed: Super Eagles star to leave this summer, club President says

Victor Osimhen's Napoli exit confirmed: Super Eagles star to leave this summer, club President says

Izuchukwu Akawor • 04:24 - 27.01.2024

Napoli and Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen is wanted by English giants Chelsea and Arsenal.

SSC Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has officially confirmed that Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen will depart the Italian champions this summer.

Pulse Sports reports that Osimhen’s future at Napoli has been a subject of intense speculation, with the Napoli boss now clearing the air amid interests from Arsenal and Chelsea.

Osimhen and Napoli 

Despite having recently put pen to paper on a new contract that has £112 million exit clause that will keep him in Naples for another two years, Osimhen has made up his mind to leave Naples.

According to the Evening Standard, the 25-year-old made it clear this week that he envisions a ‘next step’ in his brilliant career, explicitly mentioning his interest in playing in the Premier League. 

Napoli icon, Victor Osimhen has decided his future.
Napoli icon, Victor Osimhen has decided his future. (Photo Credit: Imago)

Per the report, the African football of the year is under no illusions as to what his next step is, he already has his plan and knows what to do.

"I have already made my decision on the next step to take at the end of the season,” Osimhen said. 

Osimhen led Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years last season.
Osimhen led Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years last season. | Imago

“I already have my plan, I know what I want to do, the next step I want to take,” the Nigerian striker, who has emerged as the main target for London rivals, Arsenal and Chelsea, added. 

Napoli president on Osimhen

Addressing the speculations, De Laurentiis revealed that Osimhen has aspirations beyond Napoli, pointing to Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, or a "top" Premier League club as potential destinations. 

"This was already known since this summer; our negotiations [over the new contract] were friendly, otherwise, it would not have been so long,” the Napoli boss stated. 

Napoli's President Aurelio de Laurentiis and star forward VIctor Osimhen
Napoli's President Aurelio de Laurentiis and star forward VIctor Osimhen | Imago

“We knew he would go to Real Madrid, PSG, or a top English club,” he added.

While De Laurentiis’s comment adds intrigue to the speculations around Osimhen’s future, Nigerians will be hoping for the Napoli icon to fire the Super Eagles to glory at the AFCON 2023.

var widgetLoaderConfig = widgetLoaderConfig || { CDN_URL: 'https://widgets.sportal365.com', APP_LINK: 'desktop', API_URL: 'https://africa.football.api.sportal365.com/', API_KEY: '2f852b4de2f3a5cf3188e74b33087bb4:2c18422f8e826a7d11aeed52edb2449e', LANG: 'en', REQUEST_INTERVAL: 30, ENABLE_BET_SLIP: false, AUTHOR: false, THEME: "light", TOURNAMENT_ORDER: "pulse_nigeria", LINK_OPTIONS_V2: { 'player' : { 'url': '/football/player/{playerId}' }, 'team' : { 'url': '/football/{teamId}' }, 'tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}' }, 'match': { 'url' : '/football/match/{matchId}', 'sort': { 'criteria': 'alphabetically', 'direction': 'asc' } }, 'configuration': { 'newWindow': false }, 'standings_tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}/standings' } } }; if (!document.querySelector('script[src="https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js"]')) { window.setTimeout(function () { let scriptCss = document.createElement('link'); scriptCss.href = 'https://www.pulsesports.co.ke/css/sport-widgets.css?v=1668785443'; scriptCss.rel = 'stylesheet'; scriptCss.type = 'text/css'; document.body.appendChild(scriptCss); let scriptTag = document.createElement('script'); scriptTag.src = 'https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js'; scriptTag.defer = true; scriptTag.onload = function () { window.setTimeout(function () { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }, 200); }; document.head.appendChild(scriptTag); }, 0); } else { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }

Nigeria faces a crucial round of 16 clash against rivals, Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions, with Osimhen set to lead the attack when the team takes to the pitch later on Saturday night. 

Related content

Tags:
Victor Osimhen SSC Napoli