Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen will leave Napoli this summer and join “either Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain or an English club”, the Italian club’s president and owner Aurelio De Laurentiis said on Friday.
De Laurentiis was responding to an interview that Osimhen, who is with Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations, gave to American television network CBS, in which the 25-year-old striker said he had already “made up” his mind about his next move.
Questioned by Italian media after a meeting of the Italian Football League, De Laurentiis said he was not surprised, even though Osimhen signed a contract extension with the Italian champions in December.
Italian media have reported that the contract contains a release clause of between 120 and 130 million euros ($130 million to $141 million).
Osimhen was the top scorer in Serie A last season, hitting 26 goals to propel Napoli to their first league title since 1990.
De Laurentiis said he had been preparing for Osimhen to leave ever since.
“We’ve known all this since last summer, which is also why negotiations for the extension of his contract, although friendly, took so long,” De Laurentiis said.
“We know he’s either going to Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain or an English club.”
Osimhen, voted African Player of the Year last year, joined Napoli from Lille in 2020 and has scored 67 goals in 119 appearances in all competitions.