Victor Osimhen has become one of the standout players in Europe following his exploits for Napoli in the last 12 months. Osimhen was named Serie A’s Young Player of the Season last campaign and is on the verge of becoming the first African to win the Capocannoniere – the top scorer award in Serie A.
The Nigerian striker has two years left on his contract with Napoli and has shown no interest in extending his stay in Naples. It has therefore become paramount that Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis gets a buyer for him this summer.
The Premier League duo of Manchester United, Chelsea, German giants, Bayern Munich and the French Ligue 1 de creme de la creme club, PSG, are all interested in his signature.
While juicy offers await Osimhen, it might just be in the interest of his career to extend his stay with Napoli and here is why.
Napoli are currently in better shape than any of his suitors at the moment, they are on the verge of winning Serie A for the first time in 33 years and could still be in the running for this season’s Champions League if not for the ill-timed injury picked up by Osimhen which made him miss the first leg of the quarterfinal tie against AC Milan. Let’s compare Napoli with Osimhen’s toasters.
Manchester United are on their way back to the top with Erik Ten Hag, but they are still a work in progress. With Pep Guardiola’s relentless City and a revitalized Liverpool, it is difficult to see the Red Devils scooping their 21st Premier League title very soon and not talk of winning the Champions League.
Chelsea are in utter shambles at the moment and nobody knows what the future holds despite the promising talents at the club at the moment. It is a downgrade to leave Napoli and walk into Chelsea at the moment.
For PSG, it will always be about Kylian Mbappe, not even Lionel Messi, the seven-time Balon D’or winner could take the shine off the anointed Golden Boy. Moreso, poor recruitment at the club will continue to make them local champions and make their Champions League triumph elusive. Why go there?
At Bayern Munich, things would be slightly better as he could outscore everyone easily and win several league titles. However, the environment at Allianz Arena is toxic at the moment, players are fighting each other and there is a power tussle between the higher-ups which could spell doom for the club.
If Osimhen stays at Napoli beyond this season, he could win another league title and lead the club to its first-ever Champions League triumph if Aurelio De Laurentiis doesn’t fail to fortify the squad in the summer.
The Super Eagles forward has the prospect of cementing a legacy that could make him sit comfortably with the great Diego Armando Maradona in Napoli’s folklore.
None of the foregoing is a certainty, but the probability of Osimhen achieving more individual and team success at Napoli is higher than it is with any of his suitors at the moment.
Of course, Laurentiis would demand that he extend his contract, which should be no problem. All he needs to do is insert a reasonable buy-out clause that would guarantee a safe exit as and when due.
In a year or more from now, Real Madrid will need a replacement for Karim Benzema, Barcelona will need a successor to Robert Lewandowski, Man City could need an heir for Erling Haaland and things could have become different for Bayern Munich, PSG, Manchester United and Chelsea. He would be spoilt with choices!
Then, it would have become absolutely ripe for Osimhen to leave Napoli.
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