Napoli owner confirms Victor Osimhen will leave the club in the summer

Napoli's president and owner, Aurelio De Laurentiis, announced on Friday that Victor Osimhen, the Nigerian striker, will be departing the club this summer.

De Laurentiis made this statement in response to an interview given by Osimhen to CBS, where the player revealed that he had already made a decision regarding his next move.

Despite Osimhen signing a contract extension with Napoli in December, De Laurentiis expressed that he was not surprised by the striker's decision.

It has been reported by Italian media that Osimhen's contract includes a release clause ranging from €120 million to €130 million.

Osimhen, who was the top scorer in Serie A last season with 26 goals, played a crucial role in Napoli's league triumph.

De Laurentiis stated that he had been aware of Osimhen's potential departure since last summer, which is why negotiations for the contract extension took a considerable amount of time.

The president also confirmed that Osimhen's likely destinations are either Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, or an English club.

Osimhen, who was named African Player of the Year in the previous year, made the move to Napoli from Lille in 2020. Since then, he has impressively scored 67 goals in 119 appearances across all competitions.

Unfortunately, Napoli is currently going through a challenging season. They currently sit in ninth place in the league standings and have been eliminated from the Italian Cup.

Following their title win, Coach Luciano Spalletti departed, and Rudi Garcia was appointed by De Laurentiis. However, Garcia's tenure was short-lived as he was dismissed in mid-November. Walter Mazzarri was then brought in as the coach until the end of the season.

Despite rumors, De Laurentiis made it clear that hiring Jose Mourinho as a future coach is not in their plans. Mourinho, who is currently without a club after his contract with Roma was terminated in mid-January, will not be joining Napoli.

De Laurentiis spoke highly of Mourinho, acknowledging him as a great coach and a likable figure who has left his mark on the history of a certain style of soccer. However, he believes that Mourinho's future lies outside of Italy and that Naples is not a possible destination for him.