- 10 hours ago
Napoli take Osimhen risk as superstar close to contract agreement
Robin Bairner
- 7 Sept 2024 19:30 BST
- 2 min read
Napoli’s decision to give Victor Osimhen a new contract backfired on them spectacularly this summer, but it is not set to put the Serie A club off presenting another major superstar with a fresh deal.
Following a summer of fraught transfer speculation, Osimhen signed a new contract with Napoli around a year ago. This included a massive €130 million release clause, which the Italian giants religiously demanded when they were approached with transfer offers from the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and PSG in the transfer window just closed.
No club was willing to stump up the money for the Nigeria international striker, who had also been presented with a deal worth €11m per year, which offered yet another hurdle to clear in order for a transfer to be done.
Ultimately, Osimhen wound up at Galatasaray in the shock deal of the summer after failing to land a move to a team in a ‘Big 5’ league.
READ MORE: Osimhen’s ‘clear message’ to interested clubs – Fabrizio Romano
Kvaratskhelia to get Osimhen-style deal
Napoli may have been burned, but this has not deterred them from taking the same approach with Georgia international winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Kvaratskhelia was courted by PSG over the summer, but Antonio Conte’s side stuck to their guns and did not allow the Georgia international to depart, promising him a new deal.
READ MORE: Osimhen to Galatasaray and the 11 strangest transfers of the summer
Current ETV
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
F, AM (L)
Napoli
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
F, AM (L)
Napoli
ETV Range
€48.9M - €81.5M
According to La Repubblica (via Tutto Napoli), Napoli are close to agreeing a new deal for the 23-year-old, who is seen as a key part of the project going forward.
Like Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia is in line to receive a very significant jump in his salary, yet Napoli will not pay him the mega-bucks the Nigerian is on. ‘Kvaradona’ currently earns €1.8m per year, but it is thought that negotiations over a new deal will see him land at €5.5-6m before bonuses.
A release clause is also being discussed, but the value of this, if even included, will not be as dramatic as the one in Osimhen’s deal. Napoli may be willing to take some risk over Kvaratskhelia’s new contract, but they will not go that far.
