Napoli president confirms Victor Osimhen's contract has 'very high' release clause amid interest from Chelsea and PSG
Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis has confirmed that Victor Osimhen has a release clause in his contract. The Nigerian striker is reportedly a top target for Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, while Manchester United are also keeping tabs on him.
Speaking to Sky Sports News at the Financial Times' Business of Football Summit in London, De Laurentiis said that Osimhen has a release clause in his new contract. He also added that the amount is "very high", but did not reveal the exact figure. He said:
"He has a release clause. I can confirm there's a release clause, very high one. Who knows who will leave? We will see. The money is the last problem for Napoli. We always made very good acquisitions as we did in the past. We will do [so] in the future. The problem is just sentimental problems. When you see a player leave, it's like a son. You are also happy if this son has a fantastic success everywhere else."
Victor Osimhen signed a new deal with Napoli in December 2023, extending his stay at the Serie A club until 2026. He has been linked regularly with Premier League giants Manchester United and Chelsea. PSG are also reportedly interested in signing the striker if Kylian Mbappe leaves the club this summer.
Napoli cannot keep players wanted by rich clubs like Chelsea and PSG, claims De Laurentiis
Aurelio de Laurentiis also spoke about the world-class players Napoli have had in the past and admitted that Victor Osimhen is one of them. He added that they are unable to keep the top players as the 'rich clubs' lure them away.
He told Sky Sports News:
"Victor is another good player that Napoli have. We had (Edinson) Cavani, (Gonzalo) Higuain, (Ezequiel) Lavezzi and we had (Dries) Mertens, we had a lot of people who were fantastic. Osimhen is a very great player – but you know: Napōli is a fantastic place. "
"There are certain players who fell in love with Napōli and stayed, like (Marek) Hamsik for 11 years. Or like others for eight years. And there are others who are attracted by Real Madrid, by PSG, by Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea. So you cannot stop them, especially when they have a fixed amount of money where they can be bought."
Victor Osimhen has scored 11 goals this season in 15 Serie A matches, incuding a hat-trick against Sassuolo on Wednesday, February 28. He managed just one goal at the AFCON, where Nigeria lost in the final to hosts Côte d'Ivoire.