Napoli president reveals Osimhen will soon join Madrid or EPL clubs

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen could be on his way to Real Madrid in 2024.

The Nigerian international is expected to be the target of multiple major European clubs in the months ahead after triggering a transfer race.

Osimhen offered a cryptic update on his future during the Africa Cup of Nations tournament this month by stating he has already decided on the next step in his career.

The 25-year-old has been tipped to leave Naples and he already knows where his future lies with an announcement expected by the end of the season.

With a contract running until 2026, Napoli will cash in on their star asset, if he pushes to move, with a current transfer value of around €100m.

 Real Madrid are rumoured to be considering him as a Plan B option if they fail to agree to a free transfer deal for Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe.

Napoli club president Aurelio De Laurentiis has confirmed the club are planning for a sale with Madrid on the list of destinations.

“We already knew he would leave since last summer. We knew perfectly well that at the end of this year, he would go to Real Madrid, PSG or an English team”, as per quotes from Diario AS.

Osimhen only signed a new contract on December 23 that will now run to June 2026 and vastly increases the Nigerian striker’s salary.

This contract was a financial masterclass from De Laurentiis, as it was signed on December 23, just days before the Growth Decree – allowing clubs to save up to 75 percent on taxes for salaries – was scrapped.

It also includes a release clause, although the exact details have not yet been confirmed, rumoured to be €120-130m.

 This would still generate a huge profit for the Partenopei, who purchased Osimhen from Lille for €75m plus bonuses in the summer of 2020.

It would be the second time that Napoli has used a release clause to sell a star name for a massive profit, having done the same with South Korean international Kim Min-jae.

The defender was snapped up from Fenerbahce for €18m in July 2022 and sold a year later for the €50m release clause to Bayern Munich.

Napoli have long used release clauses in their contracts and one incident prompted them to put down certain barriers on them, as Juventus activated the clause to sign Gonzalo Higuain for €90m in 2016.

Ever since then, the clauses in the Napoli deals have excluded other Italian clubs, to avoid reinforcing their direct rivals.