Chelsea & Man Utd target Victor Osimhen sends transfer message after Napoli title win
Chelsea and Manchester United transfer target Victor Osimhen said it wasn't the right time to talk about his future after Napoli sealed a first Serie A title for 33 years on Thursday night.
Napoli's 1-1 draw with Udinese was enough to earn them a first league title since the days of Diego Maradona; a rich reward for a 2022/23 campaign that has seen the club blitz clear of Lazio, Inter, Milan and Juventus.
Osimhen's contribution to Napoli's cause has been invaluable. The 24-year-old has bagged 22 goals in 27 Serie A appearances, while also netting five goals in six Champions League outings.
His blistering form has captured the attention of Chelsea and Man Utd among others, and 90min understands that the former are confident they can lure Osimhen to the Premier League even though Champions League football will not be on offer at Stamford Bridge next season.
If a deal is to materialise, interested parties will likely need to stump up at least £100m to satisfy Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, who has publicly stated that the Nigerian goal machine is not for sale.
Osimhen was Napoli's goalscorer on the night they secured the title, and he was asked after the game about what winning the title meant to him in addition to questions about his future. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the former Lille forward was coy about his next steps.
“It is a fantastic emotion for me, we waited so many years to bring the Scudetto to Napoli and we succeeded, it is a day we will never forget for the rest of our lives," Osimhen replied to DAZN.
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"Now let’s go celebrate with the public in our stadium. [Is it the] greatest satisfaction of my life? I couldn’t have quantified this feeling, it is truly wonderful. At the beginning of the season we were underdogs, not many people believed in us but thanks to the union, a great coach, the president and everyone in the club we were able to believe in the Scudetto and win it. Now we enjoy the moment."
"It’s not the right time to discuss my future," he added of his future. "I just want to enjoy this incredible title. I can’t wait to return to Napoli and hug the fans - I’m so happy for them.
"In what aspect do I feel I have improved in Serie A? I will forever be grateful to this league, to this competition. As I always say, I am learning the role of a striker and with Napoli it was immediately good emotions. I feel I have improved a lot, thanks especially to [Luciano] Spalletti and his staff, they gave me confidence to be able to grow and score a lot of goals."
Osimhen has just over two years remaining on his contract in Naples and is believed to be earning around €4.5m (£3.9m) per year - an amount that is likely to increase considerably should he decide to make the move to the Premier League.
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On this edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders, Graeme Bailey & Toby Cudworth discuss the possibility of Neymar joining Newcastle, Jude Bellingham's decision on his future and Lionel Messi leaving PSG.
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