Napoli club director confirms Osimhen´s desire to leave

Napoli club director Giovanni Manna confirmed Victor Osimhen has requested to leave ahead of the new season.

The Nigerian was left out of Napoli’s squad for their Coppa Italia first-round clash with Modena on Saturday as Antonio Conte’s men drew 0-0 with the Serie B side before edging into the next round 4-3 on penalties thanks to Alex Meret’s heroics in the penalty shoot-out.

Osimhen was initially linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain, who reportedly pulled out of a potential deal due to his price tag.

However, Chelsea have emerged as a choice for the striker, as the Blues are interested in making a swap deal with him and out-of-favour Romelu Lukaku.

Although no negotiations have emerged just yet, Manna confirmed it is likely that Osimhen will not be donning a Napoli shirt this season.

“Victor Osimhen has asked to leave the club,” Manna said. “He wants to go.

“The situation is clear, there were already chances for his exit last summer. Victor wants to leave.

“We will see in the next 20 days.”

Full time: #NapoliModena 4-3 d.c.r.
Siamo ai sedicesimi di Coppa Italia.

#ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/H853iJARqD

— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) August 10, 2024

Meanwhile, Conte was left frustrated by his side’s performance in their 0-0 draw with Modena as they just managed to avoid an early upset.

Napoli had 28 shots against Modena, but only six were on target as they created an expected goals (xG) of just 1.37.

They were calling out for a player with Osimhen’s goal-scoring ability, and Conte admitted they needed to make a big improvement in the final third ahead of their first Serie A game.

“We have to keep working and we could have given a few more goals to the fans,” Conte said after the game.

“There is a lot of work to do on the pitch and also for the club. There are objective things that I don’t want to underline.

“Tonight was a nice dose of reality for everyone.”

Napoli will kick off their Serie A campaign against Verona next Sunday.