Super Eagles of Nigeria’s forward, Victor Osimhen, who had a marvelous debut campaign in France last season with Lille, has reportedly moved to an Italian side, Napoli.
Reports from France and Italy showed that the paperwork is completed already.
- Academy owner hails Osimhen, predicts bright future for Nigerian football
- Napoli reveal Osimhen transfer talks to start afresh
However, no confirmation has been made yet by both Lille and Napoli.
Osimhen had initially refused to move to Italy over ‘fear for racism’ in the Serie A.
That was why negotiation over a contract worth around €50 million stalled.
However, the striker later changed his mind and has now reportedly signed a contract with the Italian giants thanks to efforts of some people in the game.
In an interview with France Football, a former agent of the player, Jean-Gérard Benoit Czajka, spoke about the player’s ‘fear for racism’ and who convinced Osimhen to move to Italy.
He said: “Victor did not want to go to Italy.
“From the start, he has been stuck on the idea of playing in Serie A.
“He [Osimhen] told me that racism issues scared him and that he didn’t feel it.
“He [Osimhen] even told me in March-April: ‘I don’t want to go and play in Italy even if it’s for Juventus at € 10 million net per year.'”
Czajka, who had parted ways with the Lille forward over undisclosed personal reasons, claimed that himself and a Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly convinced Osimhen to embrace the move after a trip to Napoli.
“I told Victor that before having such strong ideas, that he had to travel to see for himself, meet people, talk with players who are confronted with racism.
“Something that we finally did on July where we met the coach, the sports director, as well as the president De Laurentiis who is a man with values and experience, and who seems to have convinced the player.
“Victor also spoke a lot with Kalidou Koulibaly and this was decisive in his choice for Napoli.”
The former agent also said: “I am in a hurry to discover the final contract signed by Victor and to compare it with what we had mentioned with Naples in writing.
“Since July 13, Luis Campos and Gérard Lopez contacted me by phone, strongly recommending that I negotiate with this new agent, otherwise, according to them, I risked losing everything …
“For me, he signed on the 14th, 15th or 16th.
“You can’t buy a € 60 million player by having him undergo his medical examination without having already signed his contract.”
When finally announced, it is believed that Osimhen’s deal with Napoli will make him the highest paid African footballer.
The Serie A side are said to have coughed out €70m which could increase to €80m with bonuses.
Napoli are expected to announce the signing of the 21-year-old from Lille any time from Thursday.
Join Daily Trust WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.
