Osimhen snubs teammates, Saudi, Madrid likely destination, confidant reveals he will leave Napoli

Napoli striker  Victor Osimhen gave two of his Napoli teammates short shrift upon arriving at the hotel ahead of their clash with Udinese as his fallout with the club hits crisis point.

The striker, who scored 31 goals on their way to winning Serie A last season, is considering legal action against the club after various social media posts were posted mocking him over the past few days. The club have since deleted them but one was considered to be racially insensitive by many and another took a jibe at him for missing a penalty against Bologna.

Napoli's stance is that they will make no statement on the matter but Osimhen and his agent are believed to be furious with the club and considering their options. And he was frosty with two of his teammates, Diego Demme and Piotr Zielinski, upon arriving at the Hotel Serapide ahead of their league game with Udinese.

In a video shared by Italian journalist Gennaro Del Vecchio on Twitter, Demme is seen reaching out for a handshake as Osimhen arrives and approaches the stairs.

But after embracing Team Manager Giuseppe Santoro, he completely snubs his two teammates sitting within a meter of him and makes straight for the door.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabian clubs are interested in Osimhen should he push for a move away from Napoli in January after his agent threatened legal action against the club over controversial TikTok videos.

 Osimhen's future has been plunged into doubt over TikTok videos published and since deleted by the reigning Italian champions.

 One video centered around his penalty miss during Sunday's goalless draw against Bologna.

It was a rare miss for the Nigerian who has scored 62 goals in 107 appearances for the Serie A side, yet the video appeared to mock him for his attempts to persuade the penalty to be given.

The video showed the 24-year-old appealing for a penalty, but using a strange sped-up voice with the caption 'Gimme penalty please' before showing him blazing the spot-kick wide of the post.

A second video allegedly from the club's account, which has been circulated online and since deleted, compared Osimhen to a 'coconut' - widely viewed as a racial slur.

Real Madrid also hold an interest in Osimhen as the Spanish giants seek reinforcements in attack after Benzema's departure.

Midfielder Jude Bellingham currently leads the club's goalscoring charts with six goals, followed by the two managed by veteran forward Joselu.

Chelsea are reported to hold an interest in Osimhen, who fired Napoli to a first league title in over 30 years last season, amid their goalscoring woes.

Any pursuit by Chelsea would be complicated by a new wage structure introduced by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital following their takeover in 2022.

Osimhen's contract expires in June 2025, which could lead to Napoli being forced to consider a sale in either the January or summer transfer windows.

The forward had previously been linked with Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain in recent times.

Osimhen is believed to be valued by his club at around £150m.

Elsewhere, Oma Akatugba believed to be a close friend and part of the entourage of Osimhen, stated that the marksman will look for a way out following the two TikTok videos deriding him.

“I’ve seen a young Nigerian from Lagos join Napoli three summers ago and help them win the title after 33 years, bringing them back to the pinnacle of Italian football. Everything was going well, they were all crazy about him and called him the king of Naples. They made cakes with his face and mask and found other ways to pay homage. A few months later, they published these two videos, one about the penalty kick against Bologna, the other calling him a coconut. I can’t believe it.

“It’s incredible for an official account to mock one of his players. It’s a shame, it’s unacceptable and ridiculous, a lack of respect and a grave error. He’s the top striker in Italy, the best player in Serie A, and a Ballon d’Or candidate. That’s how he gets treated only because he hasn’t scored in a game or two? What will be the consequences now?”

“Napoli will lose Osimhen. He won’t renew his contract and will try to leave as soon as possible. I state that as a journalist. I don’t speak for him. But it’s inevitable. No club ridicules his star. I don’t think the Azzurri are racist. But those videos allow people to say that.”