Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has confirmed striker Victor Osimhen will leave the club at the end of the season.
A summer transfer has long been expected for Osimhen, who recently inked a new contract with a release clause worth over £100m to facilitate a future transfer.
The 25-year-old fuelled the speculation earlier this week when he confirmed he had already decided his next move, and while he declined to clarify at the time, De Laurentiis has now revealed Osimhen is heading for the exit door.
“We’ve known it since last summer; otherwise, the negotiation to extend would not have been so long,” De Laurentiis told the media on Friday before revealing three possible destinations for the Nigeria international.
“We already knew he would join Real Madrid, PSG or a Premier League club.”
In England, Osimhen is the top target for Chelsea, who have long been searching for an elite goalscorer. The Blues have been chasing Osimhen for a while now and are likely to step up their pursuit in the summer, when they expect to have the funds available to make such an expensive move.
Osimhen’s release clause is understood to be worth in excess of £100m, which will limit his potential suitors. Arsenal may have big money to spend on a striker, but Manchester United are likely to pursue a cheaper option to try and support Rasmus Hojlund, who will remain the Red Devils’ starting striker.
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