Nigerian football star, Victor Osimhen has been tagged a player who is not easy to replace should he depart during the summer transfer window.
This notion was affirmed by new Napoli manager, Rudi Garcia, considering the challenges that lie ahead if they have to find a suitable replacement for the talented player, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Meanwhile, the Serie A season is about to start, with only a month remaining but club president Aurelio De Laurentiis has yet to reach an agreement with Osimhen’s representatives regarding a contract extension.
In an attempt to persuade the 24-year-old to commit his future to the club, there are indications that when Osimhen returns to training on July 19, the transfer saga will be discussed with Garcia.
Considering the task ahead of Garcia to retaining the Serie A title, Garcia was quoted by La Repubblica as saying, “Replacing Osimhen would not be an easy task. His presence provides us with greater certainty and serenity as we aim to defend our title.”
The transfer saga has also attracted comments from Italian publications, La Gazzetta dello Sport and Il Corriere dello Sport, as the French coach has already told De Laurentiis that he is not keen on selling Osimhen or his strike partner, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, during the summer transfer window.
The decision for him is as a result of Osimhen’s superb performance last season.
Interestingly, both Napoli fans and the coach are hoping that the Nigeria international will remain at the club for the upcoming season.
On his in the club so far, Osimhen has made history to became the first African to claim the prestigious Capocannoniere award, given to the top scorer in Serie A.
He also has to his credit 31-goal contributions (26 goals and five assists) from 32 league appearances and played a pivotal role in Napoli clinching the Serie A title for the first time in 33 years.
The third most valuable player in the world at the moment has attracted interest from top clubs in Europe, including Manchester United, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, and Real Madrid as the forward’s contract with Napoli runs until 2025.
The price tag placed on Osimhen by Napoli if he decides to leave is between €150-160m sources say. La Repubblica reports that any offer for Osimhen will only be entertained by the Italian champions within the next two weeks.
Football Italia reported on Monday that De Laurentiis had insisted that Osimhen won’t leave Napoli unless there is a ‘more than indecent offer’ during the presentation of their new kit for the 2023/24 season, the first to have the Scudetto symbol on it in 33 years.
“Osimhen will absolutely wear this new jersey. If a more than indecent offer were to come in, then we’d get over it and would be able to find other talents. Don’t worry, here there is the Azzurri passion that enflames our hearts,” Laurentiis said.
