Victor Osimhen:France Return on the Horizon
After months of speculation as to where Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen would ply his football trade this season, the dust seems to be settling down as Paris Saint-Germain may be the next destination of the current African Footballer of the Year
Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen may be set for a return to France where he excelled in his single campaign with LOSC Lille, with reports having it that the Nigerian has agreed to join Paris Saint-Germain this summer.
With long-time admirers Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United priced out of a deal, PSG and Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal always looked the most likely destinations for Osimhen.
Interestingly, Osimhen has rejected multiple offers from Al-Hilal despite the Saudi giants’ willingness to meet Napoli’s transfer demands.
However, the Nigeria international is not opposed to a move to France even if his preferred destination is the English Premier League.
According to transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano, Osimhen has given the green light to PSG, indicating his readiness to join the Parisians.
The key part of the deal remains negotiations between PSG and Napoli with the French giants requesting a discount on Osimhen’s release clause of €130 million.
Feelers from Napoli, however, point to the deal getting past the final hurdle over the coming hours.
According to Per Tutto Napoli, Osimhen’s time in Naples is as good as over as the former Lille star could leave Napoli’s training camp at any moment. The 25-year-old is not expected to wear the club’s shirt again.
Napoli are also not taking any risks regarding Osimhen as they left him out of their first friendly of the season on Tuesday afternoon, due to a slight muscle strain.
The Super Eagles forward has also suspended training without any official reasons, with Napoli doing their best to see him avoid getting injured.
Osimhen is not a stranger to France, where he spent a season at LOSC Lille after joining from Belgium’s Royal Sporting Charleroi.
During an impressive campaign at Lille, Osimhen scored 18 goals across all competitions and won the Prix Marc-Vivien Foé as the best African footballer in Ligue 1.
According to L’Equipe via Il Napolista, Osimhen missed training on Wednesday as he awaits Paris Saint-Germain’s official offer to Napoli for his signature.
The 25-year-old is trying to prevent any situation that could make it difficult for him to move to the French capital and as earlier reported is ready to force a move away from Naples.
He did not show up for training on Wednesday to protect himself from injuries and avoid compromising his proposed move to Paris Saint-Germain.
While it has been claimed that the French club are advancing in talks with Osimhen’s camp, they are yet to submit an official bid, which suggests that the deal is still in its infancy.
The Ligue 1 defending champions want to dispose of Portuguese striker Gonçalo Ramos, who has been linked with Atletico Madrid, before forging on with their interest in the Super Eagles forward.
The earlier suggestion that Álvaro Morata move to AC Milan could help the reigning African Men’s Player of the Year leave Napoli, is proving to be so.
This is because the Spaniard’s departure has necessitated the need for Atletico Madrid to buy a new striker which explains the reason behind the link to Ramos.
Should the Portugal international eventually leave for Atleti, this will help PSG in completing a deal for Osimhen provided they are ready to match Napoli’s valuation.
Meanwhile, Napoli’s head coach, Antonio Conte, is unfazed by Osimhen’s potential PSG move.
The former Chelsea and Inter Milan head coach has revealed he’s unsurprised by the heated transfer talks of Osimhen heading to Paris Saint-Germain.
The former LOSC Lille man has set his sights on a return to France, giving the green light to the French Champions, alongside agreeing an annual salary of a fee around 14 million euros.
The key part of the deal remains negotiations between PSG and Napoli with the French giants requesting a discount on Osimhen’s release clause of €130 million.
Napoli’s head coach, Conte, is keen on bringing Romelu Lukaku to Napoli.
Quizzed about Osimhen’s potential move to PSG, the Italian revealed he’s not surprised by the recent reports.
“The situation was already very clear. I was aware of it. It’s all going as planned. To me, it’s not a surprise to wait. We face every situation in the right way. As I said, first, we re-aligned, now we evaluate, and then there will be sales and new signings. The vision is very clear. There will be no problems,” the former Chelsea manager said in an interview with Rai Sport.
Napoli and PSG have had a solid relationship in the transfer market, following the success of their transactions. Fabián Ruiz Peña, Edinson Cavani, and Ezequiel Lavezzi all made direct moves from Naples to Paris, a flight Victor Osimhen might be on soon.
