Napoli boss confirms Osimhen’s move
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis confirmed that Victor Osimhen will leave the club at the end of the season, and ruled out rumours Jose Mourinho will come on board to coach the Serie A club.
Nigerian international Osimhen, who is in Ivory Coast for the Africa Cup of Nations, told CBS Sports on Tuesday he had “already made a decision about the next step in my career”.
Before the Super Eagles’ game last night, the 25-year-old striker and reigning African footballer of the year scored only one goal in the tournament, and missed several glaring chances, a disappointingly poor return considering his lofty goalscoring prowess.
“We knew about Osimhen since this summer. We knew perfectly well that he would go to Real Madrid, Paris St Germain or an English team,” De Laurentiis told reporters at the end of the Serie A club assembly in Milan on Friday.
Osimhen, who moved to Napoli in 2020 for a club-record €70m (R1.4bn) potentially rising to €80m with add-ons, was a pivotal player last season as the club won their first league title in 33 years, and finished as Serie A top scorer with 26 goals.
He signed a contract extension last month that runs until June 2026, with Italian media reporting that the new deal included a release clause of between €120m and €130m.
Laurentiis also denied that Mourinho would replace Walter Mazzarri. The Portuguese coach’s sacking by AS Roma earlier this month sparked numerous rumours about his future, and he has been linked with jobs in Saudi Arabia and Napoli.
“Mourinho has nothing to do with Napoli. He is a very funny and impulsive coach, but I feel his destiny lies outside Italy. Surely not at Napoli,” he said.