Despite telling his club Napoli that he will be leaving at the end of the 2023-2024 season, a destination transfer may not happen this summer despite another year of change in Naples, hence clubs are yet to snap Victor Osimhen away from his club and he is set to return for the preseason this July.
Osimhen penned a new contract that runs until 2026, but this deal includes a release clause believed to be worth around £101m.
At the start of this year, Osimhen fuelled exit reports by revealing he “already has his decision on his next step.”
“I have already decided on the next step to take at the end of the season. I already made up my mind. I already have my plan, I know what I want to do, the next step I want to take.”
In the summer of 2023, Real Madrid scouted Osimhen, at that time, Karim Benzema was about to join Al Ittihad of Saudi Professional League, making Madrid short of a point man. He had just led Napoli to a Serie A title and seemed a perfect fit for Real Madrid, many thought it was a done deal, but the head coach of Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti, opted not to sign him.
Ancelotti explained in an interview with ‘Radio Serie A,’ as reported by Area Napoli, why the club decided not to pursue Napoli’s Victor Osimhen.
When asked about the club’s interest in the Nigerian striker, Ancelotti said: “No, because I think the club thought that Benzema’s absence could be remedied by purchasing Bellingham,” the Italian tactician said.
Real Madrid had a successful season, winning both the league and the Champions League, showing their decision might have been the right one.
Meanwhile, Napoli priced the 25-year-old out of a move elsewhere last summer but an exit is more likely ahead of next season as the club suffered a major fall from grace in 2023/24.
They finished 10th in Serie A but Osimhen impressed as he scored 15 goals in his 25 appearances in the league.
In a boost to Osimhen, several elite European clubs are in the market for a new striker this summer, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd mooted as potential destinations.
Some weeks back, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano confirmed the striker’s “priority remains to leave Napoli this summer.”
“I’ve had some Chelsea fans asking me again about Victor Osimhen as this story has seemed quiet recently. I still see Osimhen leaving, but at the moment the reality is that it is quiet, so we can only wait and see what happens.
“Osimhen will meet with his agent in the next few days to assess all the options and decide what’s best for him. Osimhen’s priority remains to leave Napoli this summer, the plan has not changed,” Romano said.
Arsenal reportedly identified RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko as their main summer target, but they are not looking elsewhere as the 21-year-old has committed his future to the Bundesliga outfit by signing a new contract.
According to reports in Italy, Osimhen is ‘waiting for the Premier League’ and Arsenal have ‘spoken to’ his agent about signing him. PSG and Saudi Pro League clubs are also mentioned in the report as potential destinations.
Soccernet.ng reported that Manchester United and Chelsea are potentially unable to sign Victor Osimhen next summer, this can largely be attributed to financial constraints stemming from their recent heavy spending and the implications of Financial Fair Play, FFP regulations.
Napoli’s owner, Aurelio De Laurentiis, drives a hard bargain, and the tough negotiator’s knack for holding onto players until demands are met is known, reportedly values Osimhen at €200 million, a figure that exceeds what both Manchester United and Chelsea may be willing or able to pay.
This inflated valuation presents a significant barrier to any potential transfer negotiations for the CAF Best Player of the Year 2023.
Further weakening the 24-year-old’s chances of a move this summer is his injury history. However, this requires the necessary context.
Putting himself in harm’s way by challenging for impossible loose balls has contributed to both major layoffs at Napoli, seeing him miss 14 games with a shoulder injury in year one in Naples and a cheekbone fracture that led to a 12-game absence in year two.
According to Transfermarkt, 1864 minutes played in all competitions ranked 17th in the Napoli squad in 20-21, 2310 the following season saw Osimhen move to 10th in the side and 3021 minutes last season placed eighth in the team. This indicates an improvement and demonstrates how the Nigerian’s full-blooded nature makes him his worst enemy.
Former Chelsea midfielder, Emmanuel Petit has warned the club against signing Osimhen. Petit said his former club should focus on nurturing their current squad rather than pursuing reinforcements.
“I don’t think Chelsea need Gyokeres or Osimhen.
“With Chelsea, there are so many players who are not playing to their level and can do so much more,” Petit told Genting Casino.
However, many Nigerian football lovers would argue that his Osimhen’s lack of transfer may be termed to his attitude, most recently, with ex-Super Eagles manager, Finidi George.
In June 2024, Osimhen lashed out at coach George, stating that he had lost respect for him, over some comments on his attitude towards the national team.
Finidi was quoted to have said he can’t beg Osimhen to play for the national team after the player withdrew from their last two 2026 World Cup qualifiers due to injury.
The striker was said to have been ruled out by a four-week injury and was replaced by Enugu Rangers defender, Kenneth Igboke.
But following the Super Eagles wobbling performances against South Africa and Benin Republic, the narrative of Osimhen’s absence changed as an unknown online medium reported that Finidi used Osimhen’s absence as a poster for the players’ bad attitude towards the national team when he and the Nigeria Football Federation chiefs met with the Sports Minister, John Enoh.
Osimhen was infuriated by the comments and, in a live Instagram video, opened up on the circumstances that led to his withdrawal from the Super Eagles last two World Cup qualifiers, adding that Finidi was adequately briefed by him and his doctor.
“I knew things like these would happen and that’s why I have the videos and screenshots of when I called Finidi while I was with the doctor in Germany.
“I got injured in our (Napoli’s) last game against Lecce and I went to the MRI scan. And I called Finidi there for him to listen to the doctor too.
“I called him (Finidi) and asked him to allow me to come to the camp to be with the boys and I spoke to some of my teammates too but he said I have to be with my family.
“I’m not addressing anything; everybody knows I play my heart out whenever I’m playing for the club or national team. I’ll share the screenshot and videos of my conversation with Finidi for the sake of those believing what Finidi said.
“I’ve lost respect for that man because before I disrespect anybody, I always sense of respect them,” Osimhen said.
With all these said live online, many question his respect and if he can call out his manager this way and call him by his name, it would be difficult for foreign managers to trust him when things go awry.