Prolific Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen has demanded a salary of €7 million annually to extend his current deal with Italian giants Napoli.
Get Italy football news, Napoli have already opened talks to extend Osimhen’s contract and are keen on inserting a hefty €200 million release clause in the new deal.
Osimhen, who emerged as the leading scorer in Italy’s topflight with 26 goals in 32 games in 2022–23, helped the Partenopei win their first Serie A title in 33 years.
His outstanding form has led to interest from PSG, Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Bayern Munich.
“A solution for the issue could be that Napoli will go close to meeting the wage demand of about €7m and will add a release clause of around €200m in his (Osimhen’s) deal,” the report stated.
“Shared image rights could also bring the parties close. Work is already going on in the right direction for this, with both parties trying to close a deal as quickly as possible.”
According to Sky Italia, the club and the Nigerian’s representative, Roberto Calenda, spoke for the second time about Osimhen’s contract renewal.
Calenda disclosed Osimhen’s willingness to extend his contract at Napoli, with both parties now eager to ensure that the 24-year-old remains at the club for at least another season.
“There is still a lot of gap between the club’s offer and what the player demands, but Napoli know that they can’t lose more assets after the exits of Cristiano Guintoli, Luciano Spalletti and Kim Min-Jae,” Calenda said.
Meanwhile, according to Football-Italia, Osimhen is Paris Saint-Germain’s main target if Kylian Mbappe leaves the club this summer.
Last year, the 24-year-old Frenchman was ready to join Real Madrid, only to reject Carlo Ancelotti’s offer and sign a new two-year contract with the Parc des Princes, with the option of an additional year.
The French champions were shocked to receive a letter from Mbappe announcing that he would not take up the option to extend his contract until 2025, implying that he might walk out the door for free this time next year.
Despite refusing to activate the clause, Mbappe has stated that he intends to stay in Paris for the 2023–24 season and will make a decision on his future next summer.
PSG, on the other hand, are apparently seeking to sell the France international this summer, and a “shocked” and “disappointed” Al-Khelaifi has ruled out Mbappe leaving for nothing in 2024.