Napoli president claims only one club can afford Victor Osimhen

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Napoli president claims only one club can afford Victor Osimhen

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has suggested there is only one club in the world with the money to prise Victor Osimhen away from Stadio Diego Armando Maradona this summer.

Napoli took a punt on a 21-year-old Osimhen in 2020 after the Nigerian had spent just a single season with Lille and completed only his second full campaign as a first-team player anywhere.

But they have been repaid handsomely for their investment, €70m rising to €80m, seeing Osimhen score 28 goals across his first two seasons and then hit 31 in his third alone. As many as 26 of those goals came in Serie A as Napoli collected a first Scudetto in 33 years last season.

But Osimhen's starring role has brought him to the attention of some of Europe's biggest spenders, with Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid all in need of a new 'number nine'.

De Laurentiis, known all over world football as a tough negotiator, has been pretty consistent in his message throughout the ongoing transfer saga – the idea that Osimhen is only for sale in the event of a monstrous bid.

Already this week, the president suggested that Osimhen will be staying put unless a 'more than indecent proposal' arrives at his door. In that scenario, Napoli would have no issue cashing in and searching for their next gem to polish, something they seem to have an outstanding knack for.

90min understands that Napoli value Osimhen at €150m and that no club is currently willing to meet that asking price. Publicly, however, De Laurentiis is setting his valuation even higher, and claims that only Paris Saint-Germain have the financial power to get a deal done.

Manchester United are known to be operating on a budget with limitations and have already spent big on Mason Mount, with Andre Onana soon also expected to arrive for another big fee. Similarly, Real Madrid have committed up to €134m on Jude Bellingham, while Chelsea are watching the pennies more carefully than last season and are selling as many players as they buy.

"The only club that could afford Victor Osimhen is Paris Saint-Germain," De Laurentiis told Mediaset in Italy. "If [PSG president] Nasser Al Khelaifi wants to send in a bid around €200m…we wait and we see what happens. I personally think that Victor will stay here."