Chelsea and a host of other teams risk being locked out of transfer talks with Victor Osimhen, as the forward’s pen hangs over a new contract at Napoli.
The Italian club’s president Aurelio De Laurentiis this weekend confirmed that they are close to finally agreeing a new deal with their star player.
Transfer links have been constant for more than a year, but Caughtoffside have quoted De Laurentiis admitting that they were as close as ever to an agreement:
“We’re at the signing stage that was pending since the summer.”
What that seems to mean is that the club’s offer remains valid, and they’re just waiting to see if Osimhen signs. It’s a tough call for him. His season is not going as well as the last one, and the team are really struggling. Does he jump ship now while his stock is high? Or is he throwing away hero status for no reason?
We can imagine it’s a dilemma that could last all season, with teams like Chelsea in suspense the entire time. He’s been valued at €120m, although a new deal might contain a release clause.