Football

Napoli's sporting director: «We can't just sell Osimhen anywhere»

Giovanni Manna, the sporting director of Napoli, has commented on the situation regarding the potential sale of the club's striker Victor Osimhen. 

Earlier, head coach Antonio Conte mentioned that the club's transfer strategy had been «blocked» due to the difficulties in selling the 25-year-old forward and recouping funds from his transfer. 

"It’s an objective fact, what the coach said, the situation is blocked. Victor is an important player, with an important value and conditions. His desire is clear. We tried to maintain the integrity of the squad at this moment. We are not the only club in this situation and we’ll see what happens over the next 10 days.

Does the club have any indications of whether Osimhen is leaning towards a move to Chelsea, Arsenal, or PSG? At this time, it is not right to say what sensations there are. We are working with his entourage to find the best solution. As we said, he is an important player, so it’s not that we can just find him anywhere.

He is under contract for another two seasons, so clearly if we don’t find a solution by August 30, we’ll have to talk to the player," Manna said in an interview with Sky Sport Italia.

Last week, reports emerged that Victor Osimhen rejected a loan move to Chelsea. The Nigerian striker is also reportedly a target for Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain; however, Napoli are not willing to part ways with their player for less than €100 million.

Osimhen has been with Napoli since 2020, and last season he scored 17 goals and provided four assists in 32 appearances for the team. His contract with the Italian club runs until the summer of 2026, and Transfermarkt values the player at €100 million.