Osimhen to become third most EXPENSIVE player in history

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 11 May 2023 10:52 BST
• 3 min read

Napoli have increased the asking price for Victor Osimhen to a staggering €160 million.

That is according to Il Mattino, who report on Wednesday that Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is demanding the third highest transfer fee in history in order to sell the Nigeria striker.

Only Kylian Mbappe’s €180m move to PSG and Neymar’s world record €222m transfer to the same club in 2017 surpass De Laurentiis’ request.

READ MORE: The 50 most expensive transfers in history

De Laurentiis is said to want a bidding war to erupt between the interested parties, with PSG, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Newcastle and Chelsea all mulling over offers.

Il Mattino adds that De Laurentiis would rather Osimhen stays for one more season - with his contract expiring in 2025 - but would sell if he received a €160m offer.

Osimhen has enjoyed a stunning 2022-23 season, scoring a brilliant 28 goals in 35 appearances in all competitions.

With 23 Serie A goals, he is the top scorer in the Italian top-flight as Napoli won their first Scudetto in 33 years.

He also struck five times in the Champions League as Napoli reached the quarter-finals before being beaten 2-1 on aggregate by AC Milan.

Osimhen’s absence due to injury in the first leg has been cited as a key reason why Napoli lost the tie.