Partenopei
Napoli to extend Victor Osimhen’s contract, insert release clause
Serie A club Napoli are planning to add one more year to Victor Osimhen’s contract and also insert a release clause. The Nigeria international signed a contract until 2024 worth €4.5M per season when he joined from Ligue 1 outfit Lille last summer. According to Corrmezzogiorno, the Partenopei are determined to extend the forward’s contact, whilst also inserting a release clause. Osimhen scored 10 goals in 24 league appearances for Napoli in the 2020/21 campaign. The 22-year-old missed over two months of action after sustaining a shoulder injury while on international duty with Nigeria. While recovering from the injury , the former Wolfsburg striker was authorized to spend time in Nigeria and tested positive for Covid-19 upon his return to Naples. The positive test, together with his should...
Napoli star Victor Osimhen recovers from coronavirus
Serie A club Napoli have announced Victor Osimhen has recovered from coronavirus. Osimhen, 22, is also expected to start individual training on Saturday following a shoulder injury according to Sky Sport Italia. The forward tested positive for COVID-19 upon his return from Christmas holiday. Napoli confirmed that the Nigeria international received a negative result from the last swab test. “Victor #Osimhen has recovered from #COVID19 💪, “reads a tweet on the club’s official Twitter handle on Friday. The former Lille of France striker dislocated his shoulder while on international duty with Nigeria in November 2020. Osimhen has not played for Napoli since he scored the winning goal against Bologna on November 8, 2020. He has scored twice in eight league appearances for the Partenope...
Napoli boss rues Victor Osimhen’s absence
Napoli manager Gennaro Gattuso says the absence of Victor Osimhen is being felt within the team despite Sunday’s 4-0 win over Roma in a Series A tie. Osimhen suffered a shoulder injury while on duty for the Super Eagles during the international break, which has seen him miss a couple of games for the San Paolo Stadium outfit. And Manager, Gattuso while reacting to Napoli’s big win over Roma praised his team’s mentality but rues the absence of the Nigeria international. “We have missed Osimhen in recent weeks, remember, he is an important player,” Gattuso said of the Forward, who is gradually returning to fitness having commenced light training and gym work. Osimhen linked up with the Partenopei from French club Lille in a record deal in the summer. He has played a total of six matches for ...
Serie A side Genoa confirm 14 virus cases
Genoa have announced that 14 members of their match squad, believed to include 8-10 players, tested positive for COVID-19 after the game with Napoli. So far, only goalkeeper Mattia Perin and midfielder Lasse Schone have been confirmed to have Coronavirus. According to Sportitalia, the latest round of swabs following Sunday’s 6-0 defeat to Napoli found the virus had spread throughout the matchday group. It was confirmed with a statement from Genoa, who acknowledged that there are now 14 members of the matchday group – which includes members of staff – who tested positive. Sportitalia and the Gazzetta dello Sport claim the figure is divided into eight players who tested positive – so that could well be 10 in total including Perin and Schone. “Genoa CFC announce that after the tests, the numb...
Victor Osimhen: Napoli’s alternate striking target was Ciro Immobile
As Napoli close in on a deal for Victor Osimhen, it is claimed their other striking target was Lazio’s Ciro Immobile. Napoli officials are in Sardinia to finalise Osimhen’s transfer from Lille, which could cost as much as €81m. In the meantime, La Repubblica reports the Partenopei had also looked at Immobile. The hitman was born in Naples and his agent once said he could not turn down a move to his hometown club. However, Lazio owner Claudio Lotito had demanded no less than €50m for his No 9, which Aurelio De Laurentiis deemed too much for a player who turned 30 in February. Immobile is currently Capocannoniere in Serie A with 29 goals, but Osimhen is just 21 in comparison and ran out as Lille’s top scorer for 2019-20 with 13 strikes. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Ma...
Victor Osimhen ready to join Napoli
Nigeria forward Victor Osimhen is ready to join Serie A club Napoli. The 21-year-old visited Napoli’s training facilities, plus head coach Gennaro Gatusso and president Aurelio De Laurentiis two weeks ago. Osimhen was however not too keen on linking up with the Partenopei due to racism issue in Italy. The former VFL Wolfsburg striker spoke with Senegal forward Kalidou Koulibaly who reassured him there is no racism issue in Italy. According to multiple reports, Napoli director Cristiano Guintoli met Lille president Gerard Lopez and Osimhen’s intermediaries for more face-to-face negotiations on Monday. He hopes to sweep aside the remaining doubts and convince Osimhen that this is the best step in his career. The cost of the transfer will be in the region of €50m plus Adam Ounas, which will b...
Victor Osimhen re-evaluates Napoli offer, to decide over the next 48 hours
Victor Osimhen will make a decision over the next 48 hours, but a new intermediary has helped smooth things over with Napoli. The Lille forward has repeatedly asked for more time, as he feels undue pressure from his agent and entourage to accept the Partenopei proposal. Sources stated last week that he was ready to reject the move, not so much because of Napoli, but as an act of defiance against those close to him who were trying to orchestrate the transfer. Now Radio Punto Nuovo – and sources – suggest the situation is changing, as Osimhen is being given the time and space to make his choice autonomously. “Napoli is still a possibility,” sources said. This is largely thanks to the introduction of a new intermediary in the negotiations, who is making Osimhen feel more at ease with the deci...
Diego Maradona celebrates Dries Mertens for becoming Napoli’s all-time scorer
Diego Maradona has congratulated Dries Mertens for becoming Napoli’s all-time top goalscorer. “Like this, we get better every day.” Maradona had been Napoli’s top scorer for almost three decades on 115 goals, until Marek Hamsik surpassed him in December 2017. Hamsik left Napoli on 121 goals, which Mertens had been stuck on since February before his equaliser against Inter, which also sent the Partenopei into the Coppa Italia Final. “Hi Dries, my friend! I’m proud of you for breaking my record because, like this, Napoli get better every day,” the Argentine icon said in an Instagram video. “I’d like us to have a team who surpass the ones I played in so we can win another Scudetto for the people of Naples.” ‘El Pibe de Oro’ added in the caption: “A few months ago, Mertens said he cared so muc...
