Osimhen transfer confirmed by Napoli chief; Arsenal, Chelsea target has three potential destinations
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has confirmed that Arsenal and Chelsea target Victor Osimhen will leave the Serie A giants this summer.
Osimhen was priced out of a move away from Napoli in the summer after scoring 31 goals across all competitions for the Serie A champions.
After being heavily linked with a move to the Premier League, Osimhen penned a contract extension with Napoli. By doing this, it initially seemed like he was committing his future to the Italian giants but it made an exit more likely as there is a £112m release clause in his new deal.
Arsenal and Chelsea are expected to be in the market for a new striker in the coming months and they are understood to be among the clubs interested in signing the Nigeria international.
Earlier this month, Osimhen dropped a major hint that his future lies away from Napoli as he has a “plan” in mind regarding what he will do in the summer.
“I think 60% of everyone are arguing, or the rumour is going around about me linked to the Premier League,” Osimhen said in an interview with CBS Sports.
“But…when you are one of the hottest strikers in the globe, you play this type of thing. Of course, the Premier League is one of the biggest leagues in the whole world. Now I’m with Napoli, I signed a new contract, I’m enjoying my time there, going through it with the team.”
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He added: “At the end of the season, I think I already made up my mind. I already know what I wanna do with my career, since I’ve started, I’ve been the one making my own decisions and everything is working out well for me.
“Even though when I started it, it didn’t go as well as planned. But I already have my plan, I already know what I want to do, the next step I want to take.
“So for now I just want to finish the season strong, go relax somewhere with my daughter, and then finally come up with the decision I’ve already made.”
In response to this interview, Laurentiis has admitted that – with Napoli slumping to ninth in Serie A this season – Osimhen will head elsewhere in the summer. The Napoli chief has revealed that he will go to “Real Madrid, PSG or an English club”.
“We’ve known all this since last summer, which is also why negotiations for the extension of his contract, although friendly, took so long,” De Laurentiis told reporters.
“We know he’s either going to Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain or an English club.”
