Napoli have reportedly received an assurance from one of the clubs interested in Victor Osimhen that the striker’s €120 million valuation will be met.
Osimhen’s future has been a matter of debate in the media despite the Nigeria international putting pen to paper on a new deal last December. The striker’s current contract is not due until June 2026 and although he has more than two years left, it is increasingly looking like he will depart the city of Naples at the end of the season.
Osimhen’s contract extension is said to have only been formalised to raise his release clause, which has moved from around €90 million to €120 million.
As it stands, only a few clubs will be able to afford the 25-year-old and, in recent months, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Saudi side Al Hilal have all been linked with a move for the forward. Osimhen has scored 13 goals and provided four assists in all competitions this season.
PSG likely to splash €120 million on Osimhen
It has now emerged that PSG are most likely to pay Osimhen’s release clause, with the French giants reportedly assuring Napoli that they would table a €120 million offer in the summer.
According to Italian journalist Giovanni Scotto, the Ligue 1 champions are bent on signing the Nigerian forward as a response to the prospect of losing Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid at the end of the season.
Scotto also explained that Napoli are aiming to use the money from Osimhen’s sale to rebuild their squad. As it stands, Francesco Calzona’s side occupies the eighth position in Serie A and risks missing out on a Champions League spot as they are currently 12 points behind fourth-placed Bologna with just eight matches left.
“De Laurentiis was reassured: Osimhen's 120 million will come, I believe from Paris Saint Germain. This money will compensate for the lost Champions League revenues and partially those from the Club World Cup,” Scotto told Calcio Napoli 1926.
“I don't think the club will invest exaggerated sums: the disastrous championship will at least be able to allow us to plan a more prospective reconstruction, there won't be the pressure of fighting for the Scudetto. This can allow us to focus on young and relatively little-known players, as Napoli has always loved to do.”
Should PSG go ahead to pay €120 million for Osimhen, it will be the highest transfer fee in Serie A history, surpassing the €117 million Juventus paid to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid in 2019.
Napoli already making plans for life without Osimhen
Napoli look set to make a huge profit from Osimhen’s imminent transfer and the club appears ready to invest in a replacement for the former Lille forward.
Osimhen’s compatriot and Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface has been linked with the Partenopei in recent weeks following his impressive form in Germany. The Italian champions are also said to be eyeing Santiago Gimenez and Joshua Zirkzee as possible replacements if Osimhen departs in the summer.
Mexico international Gimenez has been one of the best performers in the Eredivisie this season, having scored 21 goals in 26 appearances for Feyenoord. The 22-year-old is valued at €50 million by the Dutch club and that is within Napoli’s spending power if Osimhen leaves for €120 million.
Another player who continues to be linked with Napoli is Zirkzee, who is already abreast with Italian football, having spent the last one and a half years with Bologna. The former Bayern Munich forward has been involved in 17 goals this season and is a key reason why Bologna are in the top four.
If Osimhen leaves, Napoli appears to have a ready-made shortlist of affordable replacements, having started preparing for life without the Nigerian forward.
