Napoli president refuses to rule out Victor Osimhen exit, release clause is ‘a very big amount of money’

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis says he cannot prevent Victor Osimhen leaving the club this summer, as he also admitted the striker has a release clause in his contract.

The 25-year-old’s future has been the subject of speculation, with the Nigeria international being linked with a move away from Italy.

In December, Osimhen signed a new contract with Napoli to June 2026, a one-year extension on his previous deal.

De Laurentiis has confirmed that Osimhen’s release clause is “a very big amount of money” and refused to rule out an exit.

Speaking to Sky Sports at the Financial Times’ Business of Football Summit in London, De Laurentiis said: “Victor is another good player that Napoli have. We had (Edinson) Cavani, (Gonzalo) Higuain, (Ezequiel) Lavezzi and we had (Dries) Mertens, we had a lot of people who were fantastic.

“Osimhen is a very great player — but you know Napoli is a fantastic place. There are certain players who fell in love with Napoli and stayed, like (Marek) Hamsik for 11 years. Or like others for eight years.

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“He has a release clause. It’s a very big amount of money. Who knows who will leave, we will see.

“The money is the last problem for Napoli. We always made very good acquisitions as we did in the past. We will do (so) in the future.

“The problem is just sentimental problems. When you see a player leave, it’s like a son. You are also happy if this son has fantastic success everywhere else.”

The Athletic reported in February that Osimhen features prominently on Paris Saint-Germain’s transfer shortlist as a replacement for Kylian Mbappe. 

Mbappe’s contract expires in June 2024 and he is set to leave the Parc des Princes as a free agent at the end of the current season.

Osimhen has emerged as a leading candidate to replace Mbappe at PSG, with the club weighing up a transfer approach this summer.

Osimhen joined Napoli from Lille in 2020 and has scored 72 goals in 122 appearances. This season, he has found the net 11 times in 15 Seria A matches.

Napoli are next in action this Sunday against Juventus.

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(Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)