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Inside Victor Osimhen's explosive Napoli fallout fuelling desire for Chelsea swap transfer
Napoli ace Victor Osimhen looks set to leave the Serie A side this summer with Chelsea leading the charge to bring the Nigerian striker to Stamford Bridge
Napoli striker Victor Osimhen could very well end August as a Chelsea player.
Just two seasons ago, the 25-year-old forward fired Napoli to their first title in 33-years during the 2022/23 campaign, scoring 26 goals in 32 games. However, fast forward to 2024, and Osimhen now wants out.
It is widely expected Osimhen will be leaving the Serie A side, now managed by Antonio Conte, with the Premier League giants favourites to land the Nigerian striker. Napoli's sporting director Giovanni Manna is set to meet Chelsea this week, in a swap deal that could see Romelu Lukaku re-unite with Conte, who he played his best football under during their time together at Inter Milan.
While an exit from Napoli for Osimhen would have been unthinkable two years ago, when you take into account everything that has happened since the Serie A title win it becomes more understandable, especially from the 25-year-old's point of view after he suffered a shocking racism scandal.
Napoli's title defence last term could not have gone any worse, with the 2022/23 Scudetto winners finishing a whopping 39 points behind Inter Milan, who won the league. They finished 10th, had three different managers, and missed out on European football all together.
And it was a story involving Osimhen back in September 2023 which seemed to point towards a chaotic title defence campaign for Napoli. At the beginning of last season, Napoli bizarrely mocked their star striker on TikTok, posting a video of him missing a penalty against Bologna, prompting Osimhen to refuse to celebrate when he scored a goal against Udinese.
So infuriated by the since deleted TikTok Napoli posted, Osimhen considered taking legal action against the club. However, tensions between the two sides were then inflamed even further when Napoli posted another TikTok comparing the striker who led them to their first Scudetto in over 30 years to a coconut.
The 25-year-old then deleted all traces of Napoli from his Instagram account. And it also prompted his agent to threaten to sue the Serie A side. Napoli responded to the threat by insisting they meant Osimhen no offence, refusing to apologise. They would later privately apologise to the Nigerian for the two TikTok videos, but the damage seemed to have been done.
Osimhen was reportedly upset Napoli's directors did not publicly apologise for the two videos, the latter of which was widely viewed as blatant racism. Speaking at the time, Arsenal and Barcelona legend Thierry Henry said: "It is wrong on every level... This is what you do to your own player?" You thought about it, and you say, 'You know what, I have an idea: let me create a video'. Really? This is what you create? Your own player! And yes, it is racist."
In an effort to de-escalate tensions between the two sides, Osimhen would then release a statement calling for "unity". "Coming to the city of Naples in 2020 was a wonderful decision for me," Osimhen wrote. "The people of Napoli have shown me so much love and kindness, and I will not allow anyone to come between us. The passion of the people of Naples fuels my fire to always play with my heart and soul, and the love for the badge is unwavering as I wear it with pride. The accusations against people of Naples are untrue.
"I have a lot of friends that are Napolitans and have become part of my family and everyday life. I appreciate Nigerians and everyone for leading their voices to support and reach out to me. I'm forever grateful. Let's support unity, respect and understanding. FORZA NAPOLI SEMPRE."
However, it now looks as though the 2023/24 season was Osimhen's last in Naples. Manna, Napoli's sporting director recently said: "Victor Osimhen has asked to leave the club. He wants to go. The situation is clear, there were already chances for his exit last summer. Victor wants to leave. We will see."
Chelsea are thought to be the front runners for Osimhen's signature this summer, in-part because they would be able to send Lukaku in the opposite direction. Paris Saint-Germain, eager to replace Kylian Mbappe this summer, are also reportedly keen on the Napoli star.
Daily Star Sunday
Napoli ace Victor Osimhen looks set to leave the Serie A side this summer with Chelsea leading the charge to bring the Nigerian striker to Stamford Bridge
Napoli striker Victor Osimhen could very well end August as a Chelsea player.
Just two seasons ago, the 25-year-old forward fired Napoli to their first title in 33-years during the 2022/23 campaign, scoring 26 goals in 32 games. However, fast forward to 2024, and Osimhen now wants out.
It is widely expected Osimhen will be leaving the Serie A side, now managed by Antonio Conte, with the Premier League giants favourites to land the Nigerian striker. Napoli's sporting director Giovanni Manna is set to meet Chelsea this week, in a swap deal that could see Romelu Lukaku re-unite with Conte, who he played his best football under during their time together at Inter Milan.
While an exit from Napoli for Osimhen would have been unthinkable two years ago, when you take into account everything that has happened since the Serie A title win it becomes more understandable, especially from the 25-year-old's point of view after he suffered a shocking racism scandal.
Napoli's title defence last term could not have gone any worse, with the 2022/23 Scudetto winners finishing a whopping 39 points behind Inter Milan, who won the league. They finished 10th, had three different managers, and missed out on European football all together.
And it was a story involving Osimhen back in September 2023 which seemed to point towards a chaotic title defence campaign for Napoli. At the beginning of last season, Napoli bizarrely mocked their star striker on TikTok, posting a video of him missing a penalty against Bologna, prompting Osimhen to refuse to celebrate when he scored a goal against Udinese.
So infuriated by the since deleted TikTok Napoli posted, Osimhen considered taking legal action against the club. However, tensions between the two sides were then inflamed even further when Napoli posted another TikTok comparing the striker who led them to their first Scudetto in over 30 years to a coconut.
The 25-year-old then deleted all traces of Napoli from his Instagram account. And it also prompted his agent to threaten to sue the Serie A side. Napoli responded to the threat by insisting they meant Osimhen no offence, refusing to apologise. They would later privately apologise to the Nigerian for the two TikTok videos, but the damage seemed to have been done.
Osimhen was reportedly upset Napoli's directors did not publicly apologise for the two videos, the latter of which was widely viewed as blatant racism. Speaking at the time, Arsenal and Barcelona legend Thierry Henry said: "It is wrong on every level... This is what you do to your own player?" You thought about it, and you say, 'You know what, I have an idea: let me create a video'. Really? This is what you create? Your own player! And yes, it is racist."
In an effort to de-escalate tensions between the two sides, Osimhen would then release a statement calling for "unity". "Coming to the city of Naples in 2020 was a wonderful decision for me," Osimhen wrote. "The people of Napoli have shown me so much love and kindness, and I will not allow anyone to come between us. The passion of the people of Naples fuels my fire to always play with my heart and soul, and the love for the badge is unwavering as I wear it with pride. The accusations against people of Naples are untrue.
"I have a lot of friends that are Napolitans and have become part of my family and everyday life. I appreciate Nigerians and everyone for leading their voices to support and reach out to me. I'm forever grateful. Let's support unity, respect and understanding. FORZA NAPOLI SEMPRE."
However, it now looks as though the 2023/24 season was Osimhen's last in Naples. Manna, Napoli's sporting director recently said: "Victor Osimhen has asked to leave the club. He wants to go. The situation is clear, there were already chances for his exit last summer. Victor wants to leave. We will see."
Chelsea are thought to be the front runners for Osimhen's signature this summer, in-part because they would be able to send Lukaku in the opposite direction. Paris Saint-Germain, eager to replace Kylian Mbappe this summer, are also reportedly keen on the Napoli star.
Daily Star Sunday