Madrid officials impressed with Osimhen’s performance but Napoli not ready to sell Eagles striker
Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen impressed Real Madrid with his performance for Napoli in the 3-2 Champions League thriller Tuesday night, but a future bid depends on several different factors.
The Nigeria international did not find the back of the net, but he did win the penalty that was then converted by Piotr Zielinski at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
He also tested goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and was man-marked throughout by Antonio Rudiger.
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Osimhen impressed the Real Madrid directors enough for them to give serious consideration to a future swoop for last season’s Serie A Capocannoniere.
However, there are many different factors at play here that could swing the situation either way.
The first is that Osimhen has still not signed a new contract with Napoli and his current deal is due to expire in June 2025.
The other is that Real Madrid are also waiting to see what happens with their long-term target Kylian Mbappé, who every summer seems close to leaving Paris Saint-Germain and yet never does.
The most intriguing alternative would be to get both Osimhen and Mbappé together at the Bernabeu, and considering Real Madrid just invested over €100m in Jude Bellingham, it is within their capabilities.
Meanwhile, after Napoli's 3-2 defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League group stage, Aurelio De Laurentiis claimed that Osimhen's future is 'not up for discussion'. Speaking to Spanish publication El Chiringuito, as quoted by Goal, the Italian giants' president said: "Victor is a player who makes a team on his own, it's not up for discussion. There is no problem with the renewal, everyone in Napoli is happy."
Osimhen has potentially hinted at an exit from Napoli after deciding to delete all of his photos including his time at the club on Instagram. It comes amid an ongoing saga that includes potential legal action against the club, while his contract is also dwindling there.
Following Napoli's game against Udinese, Rudi Garcia played down speculation that Osimhen faces an uncertain future in Napoli despite the off-field controversy. As quoted by Football Italia, the Napoli boss said: "I have had a very good rapport with Victor since the moment I arrived.
"I am happy because he scored a goal and centre-forwards always want to score goals. In Bologna, we were all frustrated at not winning and he was even more after missing a penalty, so that can happen. We cleared the air, and
it all went back to normal."
