New Napoli head coach, Antonio Conte, has given an update on Victor Osimhen's transfer situation, hinting the striker needs to work hard, Soccernet.ng reports.
After winning the Italian Serie A in the 2022/2023 season under Luciano Spalletti, Napoli suffered a horrendous title-defence season, finishing the campaign in 9th place on the league table under three different managers.
In a redemption attempt, the club's president, Aurelien De Laurentiis, hired a seasoned winner, Antonio Conte, who has previously won the league with Inter Milan and Juventus, to return Napoli to the top.
Super Eagles forward, Victor Osimhen is looking to leave the club with his gaze set on fulfilling a personal ambition of playing in the English Premier League.
Chelsea and Arsenal have been linked with a move for the 25-year-old, and outside of England, Paris Saint-Germain are also keen on the services of the clinical striker following Kylian Mbappe's exit, while Saudi side, Al Ahli, are not a priority for the former Wolfsburg man.
One factor stands out for all of these clubs – Osimhen's €130m release clause. All three European clubs linked to the forward have offered a player plus cash deal to Napoli in exchange for Osimhen, but the club has yet to accept any of the offers so far.
Conte, who is keen on bringing Romelu Lukaku to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, revealed that he's still unsure of Osimhen's destination this summer.
“I spoke to Victor, and there are no changes in his situation. He’s a top player. He’s a Napoli player today, so he needs to work hard, even if we have an agreement [for his potential exit], and still, we don’t know the outcome of this story,” Conte said in comments published by Fabrizio Romano.
🚨🔵 Antonio Conte on Osimhen’s future: “I spoke to Victor and there are no changes on his situation. He’s a top player”.
“He’s Napoli player today so he needs to work hard, even if we’ve an agreement [for his potential exit] and still we don’t know the outcome of this story”. pic.twitter.com/sJzJ16HAya
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 13, 2024
Napoli kick-started their pre-season preparations as their players returned to training. They'll take on Anaune on Tuesday at the Olympic Stadium in Torino.
