Announcement imminent! Osimhen makes decision on Arsenal and Chelsea transfer
Tom Weber
- 2 Dec 2023 06:43 CST
- 3 min read
Victor Osimhen is on the verge of penning a new deal with Napoli, according to club president Aurelio de Laurentiis.
A nonchalant statement from the Napoli president at the Campania Felix award could spell the end of one of the biggest transfer sagas of 2024 - and we're still in 2023. The club boss has announced that Victor Osimhen is about to extend his contract with the reigning Serie A champions.
"For Osimhen, we are about to sign the contract that has been pending since the summer," De Laurentiis said. The announcement comes as something of a surprise. According to various reports, talks between Osimhen and his club have been stalling because the relationship between the two parties had soured.
Not only have Napoli failed to recapture their title-winning form, recently sacking coach Rudi Garcia, but Osimhen has also been at the heart of off-field controversy, threatening legal action against the club over insensitive TikTok posts. The news of his imminent signing comes amid heightened interest in his services from the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea.
Summer move still possible?
A January transfer had always been an unlikely scenario for Osimhen, despite reports that Chelsea would give it a good go. The extension won't put an end to speculation around his future and interest will remain and likely ramp up again in the summer.
What it does change, however, is that Napoli have managed to reassert their favourable position in any potential transfer negotiations. His soon-to-be-previous deal was due to expire in 2025, meaning that the Serie A champions would have had to sell in 2024 had they been unable to agree on fresh terms.
But the extension takes the pressure off Napoli and it also gives them licence to ask for an inflated fee as they already did in the previous summer. Even on his old deal, Osimhen would likely have moved for a British record fee; but on his new deal, one can scarcely imagine the kind of money Napoli will demand for his services.
