Victor Osimhen has deleted nearly all photos of him in a Napoli shirt from his Instagram account following TikTok videos from the club that appeared to mock the forward.
Osimhen, who fired Napoli to their first league title in over 30 years last season, was the target of a video where he was mocked by his own club on social media on Tuesday.
The Nigerian, who scored 62 goals in 107 appearances for the Serie A side, had a rare penalty miss, yet the video appeared to mock him for his attempts to persuade for the penalty to be given.
The video shows the 24-year-old begging for a penalty but using an unusually sped-up voice with the caption ‘Gimme penalty, please’ before sending the spot-kick wide of the post.
A second video, reportedly from the club’s account and subsequently deleted, compared the forward to a “coconut,” which is usually seen as a racial epithet.
This prompted the striker to delete most of his Instagram images in which he is wearing a Napoli shirt, leaving only one.
There is now a strong possibility that the Nigerian International could opt out of Napoli’s Serie A match against Udinese on Wednesday night.
The incident has called into question the connection between last season’s Serie A top scorer and the defending Italian champions.
A lack of communication between Osimhen and Aurelio De Laurentiis’ club over contract discussions has already raised fears about the Nigerian forward’s future.
Osimhen’s contract expires in June 2025, which could compel Napoli to contemplate selling him during the January or summer transfer windows.
The TikTok videos posted from Napoli’s account, as well as Osimhen’s agent Roberto Calenda threatening the club with legal action, sparked a media frenzy and raised concerns among the team’s supporters.
The focus will move to the encounter against Udinese to see if Osimhen will start or come off the bench.
The schism between the player and the club has created a difficult scenario, increasing the chance that Osimhen will be sold.
