Victor Osimhen breaks silence on Napoli future amid Chelsea and Liverpool transfer hopes he has chosen the club he wants to join
The ‘demands’ made by Victor Osimhen in the Napoli contract standoff have Liverpool on high alert.
Due to transfer interest from Premier League teams Liverpool and Chelsea, negotiations for a new contract for Victor Osimhen, whose contract with Napoli is set to expire in 2025, have come to a standstill.
Due to the ‘difficult’ nature of the negotiations between Victor Osimhen and Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, Liverpool and Chelsea are on high alert regarding the player’s contract situation.
Osimhen’s current contract is set to expire in 2025, and since leading Napoli to their first Serie A championship since 1990 in their previous campaign with 26 league goals in 32 appearances, he has been strongly linked to a move.
During the international break, Liverpool sent scouts to observe Osimhen in action, and according to Mirror Football, Chelsea is also interested in signing the 24-year-old. Additionally, discussions over a new contract at Napoli appear to have stalled, per a report from Calcio Mercato.
A ‘great frost has fallen’ between Osimhen and De Laurentiis, according to the report, with the two sides having very different salaries. Osimhen reportedly wants his annual salary increased from €4.5 million (£3.9 million) to €9 million (£7.8 million).
Regarding the inclusion of a release clause, Osimhen would prefer a more “easy and cheap” fee, while De Laurentiis wants to set it at €200m (£174m). According to the report, Chelsea and Liverpool are also in the wings.
The Nigerian international was initially viewed by Chelsea last summer, but it is said that the Reds have’moved decisively’ and established’several direct contacts’. In a recent statement, De Laurentiis discussed the ongoing talks with Osimhen and acknowledged that, should the striker not agree to a new contract, he might sell him.
“I have never not been calm when it comes to Osimhen, but it takes two to tango,” he stated. “I don’t change; if he has changed in mood, there isn’t much I can do about it. We take it into consideration, but life goes on, and it is disappointing if things change after a handshake.
“There is time, as the contract is good until 2025, and we get along well with him. Remember that I abruptly sold [Kalidou] Koulibaly to Chelsea.”
To try to sign Osimhen, Liverpool and Chelsea may have to wait until the end of the season, as Napoli’s sporting director, Mauro Meluso, has insisted the team will not sell any of its best players during the January transfer window.
When asked about the possibility of players leaving in January, Meluso responded, “Absolutely not, the squad is very large and leaves us calm,” as reported by Football Italia on Sport Mediaset. “We will talk about these issues later; everything can be made better. We will undoubtedly meet to discuss whether and how to step in.”
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