Osimhen Close To Signing New Contact – Napoli President
2 min read
Napoli's Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen celebrates after scoring a penalty to open the scoring during the Italian Serie A football match between SSC Napoli and Fiorentina on May 7, 2023 at the Diego-Maradona stadium in Naples. - Napoli makes their first appearance in front of their home fans on May 7 since becoming Italian champions for the first time since 1990 when they host Fiorentina. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP)
By Sedara Philip
Chelsea and other clubs currently in pursuit of Napoli and Super Eagles forward Victor Osimhen may as well be chasing the wind as the Club’s chief has revealed that new contract extension for Osimhen almost a done deal.
In his near three-and-a-half years in Naples, Osimhen has already cemented his legacy, netting 26 goals in Serie A last season as Napoli ended a wait of more than three decades to win another top-flight crown.
A total of 65 goals and 16 assists have come from 113 appearances in all competitions, but his success has not prevented speculation regarding a move elsewhere.
At a time when his contract has entered the final two years, Osimhen has been on the receiving end of two offensive Tiktok posts from the club’s social media team.
Furthermore, Napoli are currently eight points adrift of leaders Inter Milan, theoretically increasing the chances of the Nigeria international entertaining a fresh challenge elsewhere.
Rumours have persisted that a transfer to Chelsea could be in the offing, the Blues believed to be in the market for a new centre-forward in January.
Despite the prospect of Osimhen entering the closing 18 months of his current terms, a report indicated that Napoli has placed a £130m price-tag on his services.
While that stance alone may have been enough to force Chelsea to have second thoughts over an approach, it appears that a mid-season switch will soon be out of the question.
Speaking at an event in Naples, president Aurelio De Laurentiis has claimed that Osimhen is about to sign fresh terms with the Italian giants.
De Laurentiis is quoted as saying: “With Osimhen, we are about to sign the contract that was pending this summer.”
At the time, it was suggested that Osimhen had “a change of mood” by De Laurentiis, yet there was never any realistic prospect of a sale with the Napoli chief reiterating that teams would struggle to meet their valuation, believed to be as high as £150m
Reports in Italy have suggested that the 24-year-old will have a release clause said to be just below £130m inserted into his new contract.
The likes of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, who have also been linked with Osimhen, will move onto other targets if it emerges that the frontman remains with such a high asking price.
