Victor Osimhen who is the subject of a fresh bid from Saudi Arabia side Al Hilal in the early hours of this morning has received a directive from the president of Napoli Aurelio De Laurentiis to report for pre season training with the club.
Osimhen spent last season on loan to Galatasary helping them to a league and cup double, and although Napoli are pushing and willing to sanction his exit, they are not entirely opposed to his likely stay according to reports in Italy.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Osimhen has made it clear that he wants to remain in Europe and not even the reported third bid from Al Hilal will make him have a rethink. Napoli are also not shifting ground on the release clause of €75 million in his contract.
If he does not find a new team, Osimhen will join Napoli’s pre-season preparations, as reported by Italian media. Interestingly, Osimhen does not rule out the possibility of staying in Serie A, where Italian clubs can still benefit from the Growth Decree, which allows a 50% tax reduction for players who have come from abroad since 2020 – the year he joined Napoli.
Italian side Juventus are the team in Italy said to be interested in signing him, but will not make any official bid until they are able to shift out the duo of Federico Chiesa and Dusan Vlahovic.
Daniel Martins
