Snubbed Osimhen hands in a transfer request
Serie A giants Napoli have confirmed that Victor Osimhen has asked to leave the club and has handed in a transfer request.
It is no longer a secret that Antonio Conte the new Napoli manager has made it clear that Osimhen is not in his plan.
Napoli take on Modena in their upcoming Coppa Italia clash on Saturday evening and club sporting director Giovanni Manna spoke to SportmediaSet ahead of the tie.
He revealed that Osimhen has asked to leave, but the club is calm about the situation (via CN24)
He said: “He asked to leave, we are calm because we have players in the squad who can replace him in the best way. However, we do not want to harm the integrity of the group and want to preserve it. We will see what will happen in the next few days.”
Osimhen has been linked with multiple clubs this summer but no one has come forward to meet his asking price. Paris Saint-Germain didn’t value him at the same amount as PSG, with Chelsea having pulled out after they agreed to sign Samu Omorodion from Atletico Madrid.
Arsenal remain an option and so does Saudi Arabia but it remains to be seen if Osimhen would like to move away from Europe, as the clock ticks down this summer.
Elsewhere, RadioRadio reports that Arsenal are making a strong push to sign Osimhen as the transfer window draws to a close. However, it seems he’s already leaning towards a move to PSG, who have offered him a much higher salary than Arsenal.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano recently mentioned that a move to Chelsea could only happen through a loan deal. Moreover, on Friday, Romano provided new information on this file.
According to Romano, Chelsea may still be active in the market for attacking players even after securing Neto and Samu Omorodion. While Osimhen is considering an exit, he has no intention of lowering his salary or accepting a straight loan.
Chelsea remains interested, but only if the terms of the deal or Osimhen’s position change. Meanwhile, Napoli continues to push for Romelu Lukaku. As the summer transfer window enters its final weeks, a move for Osimhen has to occur soon.
A move to PSG appears bleak as Fabrice Hawkins of RMC Sport recently reported that manager Luis Enrique isn’t entirely sold on Osimhen’s profile. He’s not convinced that the Napoli striker is the right fit to lead his attack and execute his playing style.
Since transferring from Ligue 1’s LOSC Lille to Napoli, the Nigerian international has netted 76 goals in 133 appearances, including 65 goals in Serie A. Osimhen was also pivotal in securing Napoli’s league title in the 2022-23 season.
