The president of Napoli Football Club, Aurelio De Laurentiis, has made it clear that Victor Osimhen is not on the transfer market.
Despite recent reports linking the Nigerian striker with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, De Laurentiis stated that Napoli does not have to sell any of their players as they are debt-free.
He said (via Fabrizio Romano):
“I can tell you that Osimhen is not for sale.”
“Our players are in demand, but I don’t have to sell anyone. We don’t have any debts.”
The €70m rated striker joined Napoli in 2020 and has been a key player for the club. This season he has 20 goal contributions in 17 Serie A appearances, scoring 16 and assisting 4.
Victor Osimhen’s impressive form has played a crucial role in Napoli’s success this season.
The 24-year-old striker’s clinical finishing has helped the club top of the Serie A league table, with a 13-point lead over second-placed Inter Milan.
This is a remarkable achievement for Napoli, who are on track to win their first league title in 33 years.
Besides Spurs, his form has also attracted the interest from a number of other top clubs including Manchester United, Chelsea, and PSG, but De Laurentiis’ statement makes it clear that the player will remain at Napoli for the foreseeable future.
Having said that, Napoli have a history of developing top strikers, and selling them for big money once they have reached their peak.
This was evident with the transfers of Gonzalo Higuain and Edinson Cavani. Higuain was sold to Juventus for €90 million after scoring 91 goals in 146 appearances for Napoli.
Before him, Cavani was sold to Paris Saint-Germain for €64.5 million after scoring 104 goals in 138 appearances for the Italian club.
This shows that Napoli are willing to play the long game with their strikers, developing them into top-class players before cashing in.
This also suggests that they may also follow this strategy with Osimhen but whether Tottenham will be willing to pay the required fee for him remains uncertain considering the reputation of Daniel Levy.
