President of Napoli Aurelio De Laurentiis has alerted potential buyers by acknowledging that star striker Victor Osimhen might be traded.
Liverpool reportedly has a “strong interest” in the Nigerian forward, whose contract renewal talks in Naples have reportedly come to a deadlock.
The 24-year-old has recently established himself as one of the best strikers in the world, propelling Napoli to a historic scudetto in 2022–2023 with 26 Serie A goals in 32 games.
Osimhen, whose contract is set to expire in 2025, is widely anticipated to depart his present club at the end of the current season despite his success in Italy.
Osimhen may ultimately have to be sold by Napoli despite their best efforts to keep him committed to a new contract; otherwise, they risk losing him as a free agent.
There won’t be a shortage of clubs interested in signing the former Lille player, with Liverpool being the most recent.
The notoriously outspoken Napoli president De Laurentiis said during a news conference that contract negotiations had not gone as expected and that the player might end up being sold, much like Kalidou Koulibaly, a previous fan favourite.
“I have never lost my composure when it comes to Osimhen, but it takes two to tango,” De Laurentiis added.
“I am still the same; if his mood has altered, there is little I can do to change it.
“We take it into consideration if something changes after a handshake, but life moves on.
“We get along well with him, and the deal is good until 2025. Do not forget that I quickly sold Koulibaly.”
The future of Mohamed Salah, who has ties to Saudi Arabia, could determine whether Liverpool is looking to sign another expensive attacker in the coming season.
Leroy Sane of Bayern Munich is reportedly the Reds’ “number one” priority to replace the Egyptian if and when he decides to go, according to recent reports. Although he is a very different kind of player, Jamal Musiala of Bayern has also been mentioned as a target.