Napoli CEO Aurelio de Laurentiis has stated that there are times when he can’t stop players from leaving, when asked about Serie A champion Victor Osimhen’s future.
The Nigerian has been linked with a host of clubs across Europe and it seems likely that he would depart in the summer. Paris Saint-Germain are interested in the striker and London duo Chelsea and Arsenal have also drawn links with the ex-Lille man, whose future remains unresolved.
Osimhen does have a release clause in his deal and he has admitted that he has dreams of playing in the Premier League already.
Napoli CEO Aurelio de Laurentiis spoke to Financial Times recently and he spoke about Osimhen’s future. He refered to Osimhen as a ‘son’, while also stating that he can’t stop players from leaving sometimes.
“He’s a great player but we know: Naples is a fantastic place, there are some players who fell in love and stayed there like Hamsik for 11 years. Or like others for eight years. And there are others who they are attracted by Real Madrid, PSG, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea. So you can’t stop them, especially when they have a release clause with which they can be bought.”
He further stated: “He has a release clause. It’s a very high figure. Will he leave? We’ll see. Money is Napoli’s last problem. We have always made excellent signings as we have done in the past. We will also in the future. When you see a player leave it’s like a son leaving and you’re happy even if this son has fantastic success everywhere.”
Osimhen recently scored a hat-trick against Sassuolo in the Serie A and has now scored five times in three games in all competitions under new manager Francesco Calzona.
Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN
