PSG are the only European to have shown tangible interest in Victor Osimhen, but the talks have been paused after an early approach. The Ligue 1 side needs to sell one of their strikers first and disagrees with the massive valuation of the Nigerian star.
According to Corriere dello Sport, the Azzurri president Aurelio De Laurentiis is unbothered by the impasse. He’ll wait as long as needed to sell the wantaway ace and eventually replace him with Romelu Lukaku. They could lower their request from the full amount of his release clause, €130M, but not too much.
Napoli will be willing to negotiate the departure of Osimhen only if PSG or another side, likely a Saudi one, put €100M on the table. He’s under contract until 2026. Despite an agreement with the player in that regard, they don’t necessarily have to ship him off this summer. The striker is practicing but not taking part in the friendlies.
In the meantime, the Azzurri are advancing in their Lukaku chase. The Belgian star will slash his salary to return to Italy and make €6.5M plus add-ons annually. The parties are closing in on a three-year contract. They plot to offer €25M to Chelsea, which is well short of his release clause, but they believe the Blues won’t be rigid to get rid of the problem once and for all.
Our Take on Napoli and Osimhen
De Laurentiis is right in holding firm to his request considering the lofty fees for much inferior strikers. The elephant in the room is whether they could really keep him past deadline day, though. It’s apparent at this point that they concurred to a bridge deal to defend the Scudetto, but his salary is more than double what their other top players make, which is affecting other contractual negotiations.
 |
Follow us on Google News for more updates on Serie A and Italian football |