Victor Osimhen contract talks with Napoli stall as Liverpool show interest in securing his services
Napoli’s difficulty in trying to lure Victor Osimhen to extend his current deal at Naples is proving to be a plus point for Premier League sides including Chelsea and Liverpool showing interest in securing his services. The 24-year-old Nigerian international, over the last two seasons, has been up there alongside Erling Haaland among the world’s best strikers.
In fact, the Reds sent scouts over to watch Osimhen during the last international break. The former Lille man has been a strike force for Napoli and continues to be an integral part of their squad. Currently nursing a hamstring injury, the Italian outfit would hope for a swift return given his influence on the rest of the side. Rudi Garcia’s side find themselves in fourth spot at the moment and have looked a shadow of themselves compared to last year.
Disagreements over the fine details of the contract including things like the release clause and more importantly, wages means that Napoli have not been able to reach an agreement with Osimhen’s entourage, at least until now.
According to a report from Calcio Mercato via Mirror, negotiations over a new deal at Napoli have stalled meaning Liverpool and Chelsea are now on high alert when it comes to Osimhen. He has six goals and an assist from 10 appearances across all competitions this season. His existing deal at Napoli expires in 2025 (Transfermarkt).
Osimhen to the Reds?
While he surely has the ability to transform any team he plays for, the question of where he fits into Liverpool is the actual question. Most of the Reds midfielders and attackers are extremely versatile and that is not something Osimhen could provide. While versatility is not a primary function in football, we have three other players for what Osimhen does best.
Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota are all vying for that place in the starting XI. The one common factor among these three players is their ability to play off the left as well. And even in case we decide to bring Osimhen in, the price tag that he would come with plus an overload in one particular position is not good for the team environment in any case.
Also, very recently, Napoli president Aurelio Di Laurentiis talked about how the club is open to letting go of Osimhen next summer in case he decides against signing a contract instead of losing him for free.
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All of this speculation adds more intrigue to what could happen with Osimhen. Only time will tell whether or not he ends up at Liverpool.
