Napoli President De Laurentiis speaks on Osimhen’s contract situation

Osimhen’s future has been in the balance as he has failed to reach an agreement with Napoli on a new deal

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has stated that he is not bothered about Victor Osimhen’s refusal to extend his current contract at the club, Soccernet

Osimhen has been one of the best players at Napoli for the past two seasons. His goals have proved important as the Partenopeans claimed their first Scudetto in 33 years last season and reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League for the first time in their history.

Following his heroics at the club, Napoli have moved to extend his deal with just over 18 months left on his contract. However, talks have stalled since the start of the season.

Both parties seem to have agreed on the wages, but the problem could be the release clause. Napoli want to insert a high fee to make a lot of money from Osimhen’s sale, but the Nigerian is not comfortable with it.

Last summer, some top European teams showed interest in Osimhen, but Napoli wanted around €150million.

To compound the issues, the viral video mocking Osimhen that was posted on Napoli’s TikTok caused friction between him and the club. Even though the dust has settled now, that issue could complicate things.

Nonetheless, De Laurentiis is not bothered. He is confident that if Osimhen refuses to sign an extension, he can still sell the Nigerian at a good price next summer.

“We verbally agreed on a new deal in August, but if things change on his side, life goes on,” De Laurentiis said, per Fabrizio Romano.

“Victor’s contract expires in June 2025, there’s always time. Remember I sold Koulibaly to Chelsea one year before the end of his deal.”

By the end of the season, Osimhen would have just one year left on his deal, and Napoli would be forced to sell him. Nonetheless, something can still happen before next summer.