Victor Osimhen playing one more season at Napoli looks increasingly imminent due to reports of emerging twists in his move to Paris Saint-Germain.
The Nigeria striker has been the subject of a move away from Napoli this summer, but his €130m release clause has scared off suitors from his preferred destination, the English Premier League.
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PSG reignited their interest in the player last week, and this week was expected to be decisive in the transfer.
Osimhen’s agent, Roberto Calenda, was in Paris last week to negotiate with PSG, and the Ligue 1 giants are reportedly willing to include one of their footballers in a player-plus-cash swap deal.
However, the latest reports emerging from Italy have said the Nigeria striker is looking to discuss his potential stay at the club with Antonio Conte amid setbacks to his move to PSG.
Sources in France also report that PSG are now more concerned about filling the gap left by Kylian Mbappe.
According to L’Equipe, the Ligue 1 side will have to sell either Gancalo Ramos or Randal Kolo-Muani before proceeding with the signing of the Napoli ace.
However, neither forward is ready to accept a departure from the Parc des Princes, and therefore the talks for the transfer of Osimhen have stalled.
L’Equipe journalist Loic Tanzi, in particular, reports on X, formerly Twitter, that talks between PSG and Napoli ‘have cooled down’ in recent days given that the Ligue 1 giants must sell Gonçalo Ramos or Randal Kolo Muani.
The journalist claims that Osimhen has even privately discussed the potential permanence of Napoli for one more season but still needs to talk to Antonio Conte about the matter.
Conte had revealed that the Nigerian striker is not in his plans for next season, although he praised his attitude during pre-season training before dropping him from their friendly matches.
Napoli still expect to sell the reigning African Player of the Year this summer, as his move is crucial for the former Italian champions in raising funds for Romelu Lukaku’s signing and Osimhen’s replacement.
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
