Osimhen may remain at Napoli amid Chelsea, PSG battle

Osimhen may remain at Napoli amid Chelsea, PSG battle

Napoli director, Giovanni Manna has made an ambiguous statement about the future of star striker, Victor Osimhen, amid links with Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.

Chelsea and PSG have been targeting Osimhen for many months but the 25-year-old’s gigantic release clause is proving to be quite the obstacle to overcome.

A potential suitor will be able to secure the services of the Nigeria international, so long as they meet the £110m release clause. Naturally, this whittles down those interested in the 6ft 1in forward to a select few.

Despite that, speculation has ramped up that the former Lille attacker could be on the move as new Napoli boss, Antonio Conte is reportedly keen to recruit Chelsea outcast, Romelu Lukaku.

Incidentally, Osimhen himself has been rather cryptic about where his future lies; with the Nigerian seemingly revelling in being such a sought-after target.

And Napoli figurehead, Manna has spoken about the Italian side’s transfer plans in the final few weeks of the summer window.

He somewhat addressed the future of Osimhen, who seems to be more likely to join PSG over Chelsea, his team’s plans to qualify for the Champions League next year – after a poor defence of their Serie A title last term – and more.

Manna told reporters: “We aimed to provide the coach with a competitive team from the first days of training camp to immediately tackle the championship. There will be movements, as there is still a month of the market left, and we might make some additions.

“This is a process, a project starting this year with the coach at its centre. We share a strategy with the club, and we are calm and clear-headed. We will not make any reckless moves but will make decisions that support our technical and tactical ideas.”

So while he admits there will be “movements”, he did not say what those movements would be. Moreover, he stressed they are happy with their attacking options of Osimhen, Giovanni Simeone, and Walid Cheddira; potentially hinting nobody will leave.

He added: “I am here to signal unity and to show that we are all one entity. Together, we must build something new with important values. That said, with Osimhen, Simeone, and Cheddira in attack, we are covered. There are still 30 days of the market, and we will make our evaluations.”

Osimhen, whose contract runs until 2026, will be one to watch as the transfer window ticks down.