…Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal Waiting On The Wing

By Amaechi Agbo

The future of Victor Osimhen at his Italian club side Napoli has remained in doubt after the Nigeria international has refused continuation of talks over his contract extension with the 2023 Serie A winners.

Napoli president De Laurentiis suggested in a press conference that talks with Osimhen over a new contract had come to a standstill and that the player’s “mood has changed” over his future at the club.

The striker has been one of the best players at Napoli for the past two seasons. His goals have proved important as the Partenopeans claimed their first Scudetto in 33 years last season and reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League for the first time in their history.

Following his heroics at the club, Napoli have moved to extend his deal with just over 18 months left on his contract. However, talks have stalled since the start of the season.

Napoli said in official statement that the 24 year-old is bidding his time for contract re-negotiation.

 “President de Laurentiis never shared any negative comment about Victor. He just said that after verbally agreeing on plan to sign new deal, Osimhen changed his mind.

“We hope it’s just stand-by moment to think about it. In the next weeks we will discuss with his agent Calenda about the future”.

“Reports of tense situation between Napoli and Osimhen are 100% wide of mark,” the club said on Friday

Both parties seem to have agreed on the wages, but the problem could be the release clause. Napoli want to insert a high fee to make a lot of money from Osimhen’s sale, but the Nigerian is not comfortable with it.

Last summer, some top European teams showed interest in Osimhen, but Napoli wanted around €150million.

To compound the issues, the viral video mocking Osimhen that was posted on Napoli’s TikTok caused friction between him and the club. Even though the dust has settled now, that issue could complicate things.

Nonetheless, De Laurentiis is not bothered. He is confident that if Osimhen refuses to sign an extension, he can still sell the Nigerian at a good price next summer.

Osimhen, whose current contract runs until June 2025, is currently out with a hamstring injury and will miss the team’s Serie A match against Hellas Verona on Saturday.

English Premier League giants, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal as well as La Liga Real Madrid are all monitoring Osimhen’s situation, keenly.