Coveted in the summer, Victor Osimhen remained loyal to SSC Napoli. Despite a sporting downturn and atmospheric problems at the club, Africa’s footballer of the year has now extended his contract until 2026 shortly before Christmas
SSC Napoli gave their fans an early Christmas present on Saturday by extending the contract of top striker Victor Osimhen by one year ahead of schedule. As first announced by the dazzling Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis and later by the club via “X”, the 24-year-old’s new contract runs until 2026.
According to media reports, however, it includes an estimated exit clause of 120 to 130 million euros, which could allow the Nigerian to leave the club early.
Osimhen, who gained his first professional experience in the Bundesliga with VfL Wolfsburg between January 2017 and summer 2018, moved from OSC Lille to Napoli in 2020 for the hefty sum of €75 million. In the three seasons since then, he has always scored in double figures in the Gli Azzurri jersey and has 67 goals and 17 assists in a total of 118 appearances
Performances sparked interest from Europe’s top clubs
Last season, the striker – together with his congenial partner and assist provider Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – played a major role in Napoli being crowned champions for the first time in 33 years. Osimhen contributed 26 goals to the Scudetto, making him the top scorer in Serie A and the first African player to win the Cannoniere. The Nigerian was also recently named Africa’s Footballer of the Year for his performances.
His performances in pre-season aroused the interest of Europe’s top clubs in the summer. FC Bayern Munich, Paris St. Germain, Manchester United and Liverpool FC were among those interested in the striker. There are also said to have been offers from Saudi Arabia. However, club boss De Laurentiis put a stop to all the rumors and avoided high transfer fees
In the current season, there has been a rift between player and club
This season, however, things are still not going well for Napoli and Osimhen. The Gli Azzurri are only in fifth place after 16 match days and are already 14 points behind leaders Inter Milan. As a result, Rudi Garcia, successor to champion coach Luciano Spalletti, was forced to resign in November.
Meanwhile, Osimhen has been plagued by minor injuries, which is why he has only scored seven goals in the league. There was also uproar over a video published on SSC Napoli’s official Tik-Tok channel in which the club made fun of its star after he missed a penalty.
The Nigerian’s advisor initially threatened to take legal action and the situation briefly escalated. However, the dust quickly settled: Osimhen published an emotional statement of support for the club addressed to Napoli fans and has now extended his contract